3935. On the
afternoon of the birthday party Harriet’s sister Clara came for a visit and to
have tea, and to give her sister her birthday presents in advance, before the
other guests arrived. We have spent so much time talking about Emily and her
tutor that I think I should remind you about Harriet’s sister, and her peculiar
situation.
3936. The
sister, Clara was one of those persons who find religion at a certain point in
their lives. Having discovered religion, it takes over their mind completely
and they begin to try to convert their friends and neighbors to their new found
ideas.
3937. You know
quite well that I, personally, was suspicious of Clara’s convictions and I
harbor the notion that she has become devoted to the church simply to escape
from the claustrophobic atmosphere of her house. I have already mentioned
before that the trips to her Bible study group were just a screen to give her a
little freedom from tending for her dying husband.
3938. You might
think that if Clara’s so called religion was just an excuse to get her out of
the house, she might be luke-warm about the convictions of others, but in her situation
the opposite was the case. She felt it was necessary to convert others, and the
weaker her faith was, the stronger was her need to preach to her friends and
relations.
No comments:
Post a Comment