From the mouths' of pastors

The Smoking Gun has posted a selection of the 1000 letters sent to Duluth, GA administrators concerning the runaway bride case: What to do? Charge her? Forgive her? Fine her? Most of them are the sort of fare you would expect.

But, to my own surprise, Pastor Mick Murphy captures some of my thoughts pretty well:

As a pastor with almost 30 years of experience, I want to suggest something: I'm surprised this woman didn't run away earlier. From what I understand, six hundred people were going to be packed into a church to see a small circus. Over ten bridesmaids were going to troop up and down and this after, what was it? eight showers in one week. Not to mention flowers, DJ's, video people, cheap-skate uncles and aunts in bad hats dripping with fake Dogwood blossoms.

. . .

Look, welcome her home, wish her well, and get over it. Read the paper, Bubbas. We have people trying to kill us. Your neighboring state of Florida has declared hunting season on women and children. From what I understand of Georgia, your racial tension still simmers beneath the surface. The nation's economy is in the toilet and an idiot is in the White House writing jokes for his wife, a woman whose distant relative slammed into the Titanic and sank it. You people have better things to do with your time than get even with a girl who, in the long run, might have done us all a favor by making us see what an idiotic past time a formal wedding really is. The vows, the preacher, the license are all important. The rest is just marshmallow fluff. Which goes great on sweet tater's but that's about it.

Okay, I'm not really down with the preacher and license being all that important, but I'm on board for the marshmallow fluff.