Post Script: Responses to the Michael Jackson Article

I have received a number of comments on the article I wrote about Michael Jackson last month. Unfortunately, only one of those scripts could be published. The others were written with words that were filled with hate and unpublishable language.

Everyone has the right to their opinion about any subject in this society, that's what free speech is all about. Yet, I am willing to say that not too many of us actually "knew" Michael Jackson. I know I didn't, never met the boy or the man. What I knew about him was his work, music and public performances as an entertainer. These are the only things that I can judge about him and yes, I believe that they were expressions of extraordinary gifts. He developed them and then shared them with us, the world around him.

It appeared to me also that he was a troubled person and had many conflicts in his life that only he and those actually in his life may ever truly understand. As a Christian, I give thanks for his shared gifts and pray for those things in his life that troubled him. I do not presume to be the judge of his soul. I believe that is the role of God.

And as for the peace of God, it is always present and offered to each of us, unconditionally.

-- Bill Seebeck