As I ‘grew’ in the denomination of my faith, I seen farther behind the curtain if you will. 

If you’re not familiar with the story of the Wizard of Oz, the little girl Dorothy needs help getting home and she is told to find the great Wizard of Oz and that he can help her. She travels far and through great peril to final arrive in the inter sanctum of the great Oz. 

A booming voice responds to her needs. Meanwhile her little dog Toto, pulls the curtain before her aside to revel a small, normal man. So, what she was seeing and experiencing on one side of the curtain was not the reality of it. The truth was behind the curtain and it was a great disappointment.

Christianity should be about bettering people’s minds, bodies and souls. Yet the men behind the curtain, spend more time accusing and belittling those they are to minister to.

I have reached a point where yes, I believe in God and in Jesus, but the gospel I grew up on isn’t/wasn’t the true Gospel. The pretentious men that stood/stand in the pulpit each week point accusing fingers at people for perceived faults. These men try to force each individual into a common mold.

The problem with that is that God made us all unique individuals and a common mold does not fit all. Add to this the fact they overlook Jesus’ teaching at the well. When he asked the accusers that were with out sin to cast the first stone and they all dropped their stones and walked away.

Moral of the story? Forget about what the man behind the curtain is saying and trust your conscience and God’s inner voice that you hear.

Roy Richard
April 2023