Comments for Radically Happy

Comment on What You Can Do to Help Those Behind Bars by Jon Andreas by Laurent

Laurent — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:33:34 +0000

Good for you Christine for speaking your mind!!

Comments like those of Chris Holmes, just go to show the power of the deciept and influence that this Con Artist and manipulator has over people. Especially those who must be feeling their own guilt and remorse, and responsibilty for enabling and turning a blind eye to what was happening right under their nose. That must be a great burden to carry Chirs, especialy now that you have a family of your own. I can’t help but feel it is a burden that you should carry. Where were you when It came to protecting my daughter in your home? And even now you protect and defend Jon and not the Victim. One could see that as pretty self serving as well. With that said Keep in mind that every time you communicate in this way to my family the victims, you pertetuate the crime that has been committed and continue to be a party to the abuse that it inflicts. Think about that the next time you post something. Given the fact that Jon is precluded from communicating to us in anyway, don’t be duped into being his mouth piece and becoming and accomplice to the ongoing crime.

Laurent

Comment on What You Can Do to Help Those Behind Bars by Jon Andreas by Christine C.

Christine C. — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 05:48:03 +0000

If this is truly the Chris H. that was Jon’s roommate you should be ashamed of yourself for standing up for him. I am Christine, the last victim of molestation by Jon Andreas. The one to successfully put him in jail for the crimes he committed and the pain and devastation he caused to me and to others. You knew me Chris H. You were welcomed into my family’s home on several occasions with open arms. You were living with a man who was sexually abusing young girls. Sexually abusing ME to be specific. In your own apartment it happened Chis, I could tell you exactly the things he did to me and exactly where it happened in your old apartment. Does that not make your skin crawl? Make you sick to your stomach? If it does not cause this reaction in you then don’t you dare claim to empathize with me and my family. Your “forgiveness” of the perpetrators that abused your wife and friend means nothing to me. You have not experienced the devastation that child sexual abuse causes. You do not know what it is like to live with this burden and this pain. But I do. And I will never forgive what that perversion of a man has done to me. What he did to my family. The damage that he caused is irreparable and is something that I have to deal with on a daily basis for the remainder of my life. Your “assurance” of his remorse is useless to me. He does not deserve my forgiveness and he will never receive it. So do not tell me that it is “Christ’s way” and that it is something I should seek out. Your bible talk is unnecessary and unwelcome.

As for this essay; the sudden desire to fix the California Penal System and the concern for prisoner’s spirituality is a joke and clearly a self serving manipulation. Would he have ever given it a second thought if I hadn’t gotten him 28 years of jail time? I highly doubt it. If I was stuck in prison I’d be screaming for reform too. He should have considered what life might be like in prison long before he started sexually abusing girls. Which by the way he fails to mention in his essay. No where in his essay is there a single moment of remorse for his crimes. He does not even mention them! He paints an innocent victim’s picture of himself that he DOES NOT deserve. It is a slap in the face to me, HIS VICTIM BY MOLESTATION! I find it sickening that you support the facade of innocence he created around himself.

Comment on What You Can Do to Help Those Behind Bars by Jon Andreas by Terri

Terri — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:27:47 +0000

One more thing Chris, if you read the essay carefully, as you told me to do, then perhaps you can explain his comment that he never had sex???? Child molestation is not sex???? Lies, lies, lies…and you bought into them …If you cannot see the essay for what it truly is then you are still as misguieded as you were when you were his roommate during the time he perpetrated his crimes against children…sometimes in your shared home. Where were you then???

Comment on What You Can Do to Help Those Behind Bars by Jon Andreas by Terri

Terri — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:51:44 +0000

As I said several times…The essay is self serving…as are your comments…Do not attempt to contact me or my family again. Do not attempt to evangelize to me or my family. You have no right nor is it welcome. We will continue our efforts to keep the pedephile off the street so he cannot re offend. Perhaps those living under the current state of our penal system should have thought about that BEFORE they committed crimes against children…As I said, …too little too late. Perhaps you should re-read the essay and recognize it for what it is…an attempt to gloss over his crimes with a ‘poor me’ undertone. Me, I love the penal system in this particular case…it has not failed me or my family. We only wish we could have given him a life sentence as he gave all his victims. An eye for an eye…Don’t you just love the Bible…we can pick out any quote to fit any circumstance.

Comment on What You Can Do to Help Those Behind Bars by Jon Andreas by Chris H.

Chris H. — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 17:26:39 +0000

Dear Terri,
I sincerely empathize with your pain and anger. One of my closest friends as well as my wife were victims of sexual molestation as children by adults. Upon hearing of their ordeals for the first time, I remember how much pain and outrage I felt. My initial emotional reaction was to curse and damn the perpetrators of the crimes. However, as time has progressed, I have learned to forgive both criminals. One of the factors that has led me to do this is that both my friend and my wife have found it in their hearts to forgive their molesters. While both have not forgotten (and never will), they believe that if they hold onto their hatred and resentment they will not only be ignoring Christ’s command to love your enemies but also they will continue to suffer more emotionally.

Having said all that, I want to respond to your criticism for publishing Jon’s open letter. First, and foremost, this letter was not written as a mea culpa letter expecting individual sympathy for him.Six years ago, while visiting him and another friend in prison, I asked both of them what the Christian church could do to reach out more to prisoners in America. After a thoughtful discussion, I asked Jon if he could write down on paper some concrete suggestions for Christians who want to minister to people in prison. The end result was the essay you now see published on this Web site. If you read it carefully, you will notice that nowhere does Jon exculpate himself from his crimes or suggest that he has been unjustly punished. Having talked to Jon numerous times since his incarceration, I can assure you that Jon is truly remorseful for his past sins and does not think he is some innocent victim of the state’s legal system. With that said, Jon is critical of the current operation of the California penitentiary system. If you carefully read the essay again, you will find that he mainly is trying to expose the deplorable state of California’s prisons and make suggestions to people as to what they might do to change that state. That is all, nothing more or less.

Comment on Good News for Modern Nerds by Imran Khan

Imran Khan — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 09:54:39 +0000

That was some academic read!!

Comment on Partially Examined Assumptions from PEL #46: Plato on Ethics & Religion by The Thought Not the Thinker | The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast | A Philosophy Podcast and Blog

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 01:58:22 +0000

[...] opinions and feeling like we had to just stick to discussing “dead white guys.” (See his post, and my response.) While I appreciate the sentiment and think it would be nice for us to more often [...]

Comment on Cleansing Streams Retreat Review by Deb

Deb — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 00:30:58 +0000

Thank you; I’m not a computer person but I’ve experienced 4 retreats in the past 6 years Being sober for almost 15 years; being in recovery for 7 years and each time i go through this semenar God in his grace reveals alittle bit more to me that I need to let go of. I do like your honest description of what Cleansing Stream is about because it isn’t easy to describe. Each experience; each subject;each bondage or deception is revealed personally and differently to each participant.I find in more of a confirmining healing rather than a laying on of hands kind of healing. THere are tools to take with you to help shape your walk with Jesus. Not just go for the easy fix and expect OK I’ll never have to deal with another problemor this issue will never crop up on me again.
TH emphasis is on what Christ has already done for us in HIS death and resurrection that sets us free. Thanks Deb Scottsdale.November 2011

Comment on Partially Examined Questions by Dr. Ernie

Dr. Ernie — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 17:39:34 +0000

I think you have the wrong paradigm for “science” — not every experiment is repeatable. Like I said, if your claim is that “religion” is no more scientific than paleontology and astronomy — never mind sociology or anthropology — then I’ll agree with you. But I think you’d really tick off some astronomers…

Comment on Partially Examined Questions by abellwordpress

abellwordpress — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:59:33 +0000

These kind of predictions aren’t testable in a scientific sense – they aren’t repeatable experiments, and they can’t be well-controlled. Certainly some people’s lives are improved by their faith. It is clear that this has been the case for you, as you are “radically happy”!