Shirley Futeran, 17, lost her life while
mountain climbing in Cape Town
during the
summer school break of 1970
.
.
On the first day back at school our Principal, Max Leeuwenberg, solemnly presented a prayer where he appealed to the mercy of the god in the heavens. Our school pupils were predominantly Christians, as was Mr Leeuwenberg.
I know that some took comfort from the speech and the readings from scripture but I for one was not impressed by it.
I was left feeling confused.
A young woman died.
There is
no
celestial excuse. I was uncomfortable with the almost magnetic turning towards the Christian religion for explanation, and in how everybody else was just fine with that explanation, that morning in January 1971. Horrifying.
I am now, as I was then, an
atheist
. Furthermore, those pupils in my school who knew my rejection of the Jesus Club were instantly hostile at best. Two-faced at worst.
I used to be a member of my high school graduating year on Facebook.
Certainly, I am no longer a member.
Why? Let me tell you why.
I left because I posted my thoughts and emotions with regard to Leeuwenberg’s speech that morning. Consequently, a page admin
*
, a
Christian
, disagreed with my personal experience of that morning speech,
and then deleted my comment.
Her excuse for deleting my comment was that not everybody had the same reaction; she made it clear that some people took comfort from that speech.
Which, of course makes no sense at all to any rational thinker.
To me this is one further piece of evidence that Christianity is Stupid .
Shirley Futeran was loved by all.
If ever a statement was true it is the one I stated above. Life is cruel.
* Linda du Preez was the admin.