Letters from Earth.

Mark Twain's "Letters from Earth," pgs. 307-318

To be honest and sincere, I felt passionately that this piece was Twain's personal opinion. I believe that if he had wanted it published he would have done so himself. Another thing that frustrated me is the fact that we as students seem to be able to study what some consider,"blasphemy", with references to God and the Bible, and yet are unable to study the Bible in a public institution as the main text without a challenge.

I respect Twain's right to an opinion, and he must have felt strongly about his opinion, in order to challenge the stance at the time. It seems as well thought out and written, as his other work. Having the Bible as a reference, I did note that some of the things he had written were true according to the Bible I have. He essentially makes the case that God could not be real because what happened in regards to Noah's Ark is impossible, and further makes God to be simple minded because he killed people when the earth was flooded. He makes God out to be a wishy-washy, out of balance creature. His tone is condescending and demeaning in certain parts. I felt that he stated his opinion as fact on several occasions throughout the piece.

He seems to have taken some kind of poll in which he discovers that heaven is a certain way and that most people would dislike the atmosphere there. My understanding having read some extensively of the Heaven in the bible is that it is a place of celebration. I do not believe it to be exactly the place that Twain described. I also do not believe that most people stereotypically dislike church. I know many, many people that personally give their money, talents and time to their church. Perhaps in the time, church was rather boring? I know that church years ago was more oppressive, with many rules to obey, and as further interpretation has come to the church about what is acceptable, there have been many changes. This piece was interesting and made me think, rethink and research. For that, it was valuable, and unforgettable.