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From:
Alan Rosenthal <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Wed, 15 Dec 2004 08:29:46 -0800
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Hi,

I definitely enjoyed "Letters from the Earth" and would be delighted if more
people would read it.  However, that's one heavy duty piece o' writing.  I
have a few Christian Fundamentalist friends who I regularly debate with and
I haven't mentioned LFTE because I don't want them to bust an artery
(awkward to explain to the surviving wives and children).

In my humble, uneducated, unliterary opinion I would suggest starting easy.
Begin with "The War Prayer".  Short, simple and a funny ending.  If they can
absorb that then they will never be able to listen to a President say that
"God is on Our Side" without frowning.  Heck, they won't even be able to
listen to a baseball player talking about how God helped his team win the
Big Game.

After that I'd probably move up to "The Damned Human Race".  Teach people a
little humility.  Take 'em down a few pegs.  It will hurt for a little while
but it will do them a world of good.

If you get this far then you might, IMHO, have succeeded in changing their
outlook on life forever.  Now you can safely hand them a copy of "Letters
from the Earth".

Just my two cents worth,

Alan Rosenthal

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