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ZC, forgiveness was never in question, as far as I was concerned. I just kept wondering what I have done in your eyes to deserve so much scorn. Your closing paragraphs really could not be answered with any degree of acceptable cynicism or bitter-sweet humor, and I frankly did not have it in me to try for parity, so I let it go, believing that maybe we all learned a lesson from it, for which I mustered enough frankness to thank you, even if it came across as sarcasm. It wasn't sarcasm.

I know that you think my coreligionists should hang me out to dry the way you feel they have been doing with "rednecks," but I am sure that, while they are pained to see one of their own wonder off so far in his thinking outside the box, they also know that my Orthodox upbringing left on me at least something we attribute to our faith in Christ, as our model and guide; they know that, regardless what I say, I have never renounced believing with all my heart what he stands for in our Church, and that living in imitation of his teaching is the only right thing to do. I have no doubt that one can be a Christian at heart even if he is not super religious, just as a non-observant Jew is still a Jew and can, even as an atheist, be righteous among nations and be acceptable to God.

³⁷"Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? ³⁸'And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? ³⁹'When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' ⁴⁰"The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.' [Matthew 25]

I harbor no ill feelings towards you, and never have, even if what you said was irritating. But I am glad that you mustered the courage and character to publicly confess what you could have done via PM, out of sight of everyone else, just as you could have asked the RM to inconspicuously remove the offensive post.

In my previous post I to you I did not remember, after all these years, a single post of yours because they did not impress me. But you did something this time which I will forever remember, in fact the only thing you ever wrote that I will have a memory of, because it was impressive and I salute you for it.

Shalom.

***I know that you think my coreligionists should hang me out to dry the way you feel they have been doing with “rednecks,” ***

Well, now that you mention it...

***I harbor no ill feelings towards you, and never have, even if what you said was irritating. But I am glad that you mustered the courage and character to publicly confess what you could have done via PM, out of sight of everyone else, just as you could have asked the RM to inconspicuously remove the offensive post.***

Bravo, kosta. You worded very well what I was thinking.

ZC; you and I have had debate in the past and perhaps will have against to the benefit of us both.