Dear Jessica,
In my last letter I promised to tell you what I have
decided to do instead of playing Wizards of America. First, I decided to
stop believing in all the wizards of America. I don't believe in the
United States of America, that's the biggest Wizard of all in our
country. I don't believe in the State of Alaska or any of the other
Great Wizards of America. These wizards are always invisible because
they are make-believe. Don't forget, no one can force you to play a game
you know is bad or to believe in wizards.
When Simon Says is over, no one pretends to believe
in Simon anymore. I don't believe in Simon or wizards either, like
congressmen, presidents, judges, policemen and all the rest. You can see
these smaller wizards, but outside the game they are only common men and
humbugs, like the Wizard of Oz. They hide behind screens, too, and speak
in solemn voices to trick as many as they can.
Part of the screen is in the funny clothes they wear.
Policemen dress up like Smokey the Bear. Judges wear long black robes
that look like dresses. They sit up high behind big wooden desks. But
most of the screen is put in your mind by your teacher and other
grownups. If you don't let them put the screen in your mind, you'll
always be able to see that wizards are really humbugs.
It took me a long time to remove the screens from my
mind. My teachers worked very hard putting them in there. But now I've
knocked them all over, just like Toto did in the Wizard of Oz. It is
good to see that all the wizards are really just humbugs.
Now all the Great Wizards of all the countries are
gone for me. Now when I look at America, all I see is green and
beautiful country filled with jewels and precious metals, and all the
good things to make people happy. And I see many good people and many
humbugs, but no wizards at all.
I should tell you about another trick that grownups
play on children to make them want to play Wizards of America. Children
are told that if they don't play make-believe when they grow up, then
there will be chaos and anarchy. They say many will be hurt or killed.
Children are told that to scare them. When they grow up, they believe it
is true without really thinking about it. But it is a lie. It is such a
silly lie we should laugh about it! But it is a very sad lie, too,
because playing wizards hurts people. In another letter I'll tell you
the story of the time everyone stopped playing wizards for several years
right here in America and how everything was just fine.
So I have quit playing United States of America. I'm
not afraid to stop pretending there are wizards who can protect us. Now
I have stopped believing that Great Wizards rule the countries of the
world. Now I believe in the Kingdom of God.
It really is true that God rules the world. The men
who wrote the Bible thought so, too. If you ask grownups who have read
the Bible, "Is God the ruler of the whole world?" Many of them will
say, "Yes, He is." They will tell you God rules the world and we
must do as He says. But then they will lie to you. They will tell you
God wants us to play Wizards of America. They pretend God wants us to be
ruled by humbugs. That is not true. God wants to rule us Himself
directly, without any wizards at all.
Ask your Dad to read you the story of when the old
country of Israel wanted to be ruled by a wizard and a humbug. God had
ruled them for hundreds of years, but they thought it would be more fun
to play make-believe. God said He would pick a humbug to rule them. God
said it would be a bad thing and it was. Israel's humbug wizard was
called a king. His name was Saul. Today's children play Simon
Says, but the Israelites played Saul Says. You can find that
story in First Samuel, Chapter 8.
On the spectrum of government, find where the
Israelites started, then where they ended up with Saul. This is
something new for you. Ask your Mom and Dad to help you. We'll be doing
this for other people, too!
|
Man's Rule
(Saul's Law) |
|
|
|
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God's Rule
(God's Law) |
If we want God to rule us, we must do what He says.
Even first graders can understand and obey His rules. There are only two
main ones. First, we must Love God our King with our whole being.
All the effort that goes into pretending that wizards are real must be
used to believe God is real.
Grownups pretend wizards rule them. Like the State of
Alaska and the United States. They believe in them, even though they
know other men made them up. If grownups can believe such a lie, then
they can believe the truth that God rules them. The reason that it is
hard for grownups to believe that God rules the world is simple. If God
rules the world, then grownups can't play wizards. Grownups love to play
wizards more than they love God, or they are afraid. It's easier to go
along than to speak up.
So the first rule is to love God more than anything
else. The second rule is like the first one. Love other people as
much as we love ourselves. This is what people call The Golden
Rule. It means you should always do to other people what you would
like them to do to you. It takes lots of practice to do this every time.
It works like this. If you want your sister to share her toys with you,
you must share your toys with her. Be very careful not to hurt anyone.
Be as nice as you can to everyone, even if they aren't nice to you.
As long as you live at home, you must obey your
parents. As you grow older, you will notice inside you a strong desire to
find something to take the place of your Mom and Dad. The best thing to
take that place is God. But grownups want to trick you into using that
desire to let their made-up wizards rule you. Humbugs want to take the
place of God in your heart and mind. They think that because God is
invisible and wizards are invisible, that you will never know the
difference. They are wrong. I know the difference and now you do, too!
I know the second rule is in your heart and mind. One
day when I was staying with you, I overheard you and Halley talking. The
two of you were playing and you hurt Halley's arm. Halley made a
scrunched-up face and held her arm. Then she said, How would you like
me to do that to you? The Golden Rule is the same: Do unto others
as you would have them do unto you. Little children know it without
being told, because it is put in their hearts and minds by God.
These two rules of God are called Commandments or
laws of God. Your Dad can read them to you from Matthew 22:37-40. There
are ten commandments you should know about. Maybe your Dad will teach
them to you. I think grownups and children should all stop believing
that wizards rule them and let God rule them. In my next letter, I'll
tell you a true story about a little girl who lived over a hundred years
ago, who knew what I'm telling you. Bye for now!
