Bruce, You Fought the Demon of Homosexuality and Gave Into It — Part One

Recently, I received the following email from a seventy-eight-year-old Christian man named Pat. My response follows.

Wow!!! What writings.

Thank you for appreciating the profundity of my writing,

Never read anything like them.

Again, that you for recognizing the uniqueness of my prose.

I am exhausted after going over your blogs.

Awesome! I appreciate new readers who are willing to read and understand my . . . Oh wait, I see. You were being a sarcastic prick. You didn’t mean the compliments you paid me. OMG! Another dishonest Christian. Never seen that before, right?

You have accomplished the task of making yourself the center of attention, that I conclude has always been important to you.

You don’t know me, so you have no idea what is important to me. I have been blogging for almost twenty years. I enjoy writing. I have tried over the years to share my story with others. Thousands of people have found my writing helpful and encouraging. That you don’t is no reason for you to attack me, but alas, even at seventy-nine, you never learned how to behave as a Christian in public.

Did you bother to consider how your words would be received by myself and the readers of this blog? Do you really think you represented Christ well? These are rhetorical questions, by the way.

You position your blogs that you always get the last word in, which gives you a feeling of control and power which also is important to you.

Again, you don’t know me, so you make judgments that are based on some sort of straw man of me you have built up in your mind.

People are free to comment on this blog, but there are rules. I make no apology for this. Everyone gets at least one comment to say whatever they want. After that, participation depends on playing well with others. Sadly, your tribe isn’t known for respectful dialog. Your email is case in point. Your goal was to wound and debase me, and not to interact and understand.

You have probably spent a great part of your life manic/depressive, which would be a hard life to live.

Untrue. Are you a psychiatrist or psychologist? Of course not. I have never been manic. Believe me, my Evangelical mom was manic, so I know what it looks like. I have, however, suffered from situational depression, especially since my health has declined.

Probably fought the demons off of homosexuality, may have even given into the temptation.

Ah, here we go, the gay slur. What would an email like yours be without some sort of attack on my sexuality. First, I am an atheist, so there is no God, and there is no Devil or demons. Do you have empirical evidence that suggests otherwise?

In your world, being LGBTQ is a sin. You condemn people for who they are. I don’t know, Pat, you probably fought off the demons of heterosexuality yourself, and have even given into the temptation. What a disgusting man you are to sin against the thrice holy God by having heterosexual, missionary position sex on your birthday and anniversary. Do better, Pat.

Or you can realize you are a bigot and repent.

For the record, my sexuality is none of your business. What I say here won’t matter, so I will leave you with your fantasy of having gay sex with me.

Doesn’t make you a bad person just makes you lost like most of the world, myself included.

Sorry, Pat, but I am not a sinner, so I am not, in any way, “lost.” I know right where I am. I also know right where Jesus is too: in an unknown grave in Jerusalem. If you want to worship a dead man, have at it. I have no interest in your blood cult or your Mormon-like worship of the dead. Jesus F. Christ, Pat, it’s 2026. Stop with the religious nonsense.

You would do almost anything to win, but this battle with God will be lost. He is not the god that you speak about in your writings and your experiences within the Church. He is a God of love and mercy.

I am not fighting God. Sorry, but God is a myth. Why in the world would I battle a myth? That would be irrational and stupid. Your claims about God are your personal opinions, and can be easily refuted if you want to get into a theological and Biblical debate with me. I’m game, Pat, are you? I’ll even let you get the last word in. Better yet, you may write a guest post for this site, saying whatever the dead Jesus puts on your shriveled heart to say. Of course, that means I will likely get the last word in, but this is an opportunity for you to put the atheist Bruce Gerencser in his place. After all, I’m just a godless, narcissistic, mentally ill homosexual. I’m no match for a virile hetero like you. 🤣

This blog has always been a place for me to share my story. As the sub-header says, I am one man with a story to tell. If you don’t like this fact, feel free to NOT read my writing. I certainly don’t want to irritate your emerods.

I wish you the best in the days ahead.

No you don’t. Stop with the false compassion. You can’t write all the shit you did and then “wish me the best.”

I hope you find some relief in the health issues you are dealing with.

There will be no relief forthcoming. I am, in a sense, terminal. The stomach diseases I have are incurable. I have been told by doctors that there is nothing they can do for me. What I do need, Pat, is money. Now there’s a way you can show your compassion. I will be awaiting your large donation to Dr. Bruce Gerencser, Director of the Christopher Hitchens Evangelization Center PO Box 183, Ney, Ohio 43549. Thanks, Bro!

You are still a young man. I will be 79 in a week.

Really? I am literally ten years younger than you. I am hardly a young man.

You write of your honesty; I am very truthful in my life also and in this note to you, found it to be less complicated that way…Pat

Sigh. (Please see Why I Use the Word “Sigh.”) This is your way of explaining and dismissing your boorish behavior. It seems you are one of these old men who thinks their advanced age gives them a right to say whatever they want. Unlike you, I have become more careful with my words since I deconverted in 2008. Age should bring maturity and wisdom. Certainly age should teach you to not contact random strangers on the Internet so you can belittle and insult them. You must have missed this lesson in life.

What did you hope to accomplish with your email? Do you really think you represented Jesus well, as the Bible commands you to do? Or have you written me off because I am an atheist?

Saved by Reason,

Bruce Gerencser, 69, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 48 years. He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.

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