Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Friday July 27, 2006

A famous song years ago proclaimed, mostly through the left nostril, "My inlaws made an outlaw out of me!"

The subject of various shades on inlaw relationship has been the grist of songs, jokes and horror stories from time immemorial. I believe I may have stumbled across the consummate inlaw. It is up to you to decide whether the sister inlaw or the brother inlaw was consummate, but whichever you will agree the other was unquestionably number two.

Her maiden name was Bridget Elizabeth Dowling and a fine Irish Lass she was.

He was Alois and his last name will live in history long after all the memories of sports super stars have faded into oblivion. He was a child abuser, who abandoned Bridget, he also was charged with bigamy escaping prison due to the forgiveness of Bridget. He had faked his death during WW1. Bridget and William, the son born to the marriage eventually came to live in the United States, settling on Long Island under assumed names.

Bridget wrote a book about her experiences, which ultimately proved to be mostly fiction. The house she and William lived in during World War Two in Liverpoole was destroyed by Hitler's bombs. It is a memorial today.

Please note what she wrote in 1941 to describe her affection for her brother inlaw, Adolf Hitler, as quoted in Time Magazine:

“Adolf should be killed by slow torture, a little bit every day.”

Ah, the wonder of family affection.

Though Bridget was a staunch Roman Catholic, she certainly demonstrated good Baptist ideas with her wishes for Adolf. I can testify that you don't have to be Adolf Hitler for folks to parrot the wish of Bridget for your dying comfort.

“Adolf should be killed by torture, a little bit every day.”

I have several inlaws about whom such feelings are mutual and we express such in a deeply moving Christian manner.

Can anything be done about these feelings toward one another, each of whom has been accepted under the law of the family? I wonder if Jesus ever addressed this matter?

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2006 Use with credit

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