Aida paused, gathering her strength for the home stretch of her defense, the passionate final thoughts she wished to leave with those who would determine her sentence. At one time people realized that it was unjust to forbid the propagation of a faith; now they dont understand this. Now they say, Believe yourself and pray, but dont dare talk about God to anyone. To silence ones ideological opponent by force is no ideological victory. This has always been called barbarism. The judge interrupted her, frustrated that this criminal was now preaching a sermon in his courtroom. You are not to talk about the church; talk only about yourself, he said, punctuating his words by pointing at her. For the Christian there is only one course, she said. The Christian cant be anything but confrontational. Once you know the truth, this means following it, upholding it, and if necessary suffering for it. I cant be different. I cant act any differently. I love freedom and would very much like to be free with my family and friends. But I dont want to act against my conscience. What good is freedom to me if I cant call God my Father? The knowledge that my soul and thoughts are free encourages and strengthens me. (This girl Aida is defending herself in a Soviet Union courthouse.) This is an excerpt from Hearts of Fire --- an AWESOME BOOK!!!
Posted on: Sat, 27 Sep 2014 21:21:07 +0000
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