August 18, 2004 - 11:49 p.m.
Why I'm Not Religious
There are probably a number of factors for my lack of religious zeal, but tonight I was reminded of one of the bigger ones.
It happened when I was 9, so it's no wonder that I forgot it. You can read all about the episode here, but I'll give you the quick version.
My family attended the Dallas First United Methodist Church. At that point, we were pretty involved. I remember that I went to Sunday school, and my mother taught Sunday school. Right after Easter in 1987, the head minister's wife was found in their home's garage, strangled with a cord. It was a horrifying event for the community, made even more distressing when the minister tried to commit suicide in his wife's hospital room.
Hospital room, you might ask? Yes, that's right. She didn't die. She was put into a coma from which she has never recovered. The minister left a suicide note that referenced demons in his soul. He didn't succeed and soon moved to California. The prevailing thought was he had killed her. He had been having an affair and had faked all sorts of things about his life.
He was eventually tried in 1993 and found not guilty because of the awful job the prosecution did. It was truly an embarrassing thing for the church and the city, not to mention heartbreaking for her family.
So why should I have trusted organized religion when my minister was accused of trying to kill his wife?
�
�
