Loretta Lynn_ Coal Miner's Daughter - Loretta Lynn [95]
I was real nervous because the Bible says you have to be immersed and, like I’ve said so many times, I’m scared to death of the water. But it was a very private thing—just the preacher and his wife and my daughter-in-law. Nobody from my family volunteered to go with me, but I didn’t mind. The Bible says you’ve got to walk this lonesome valley by yourself. They dunked me in this special tank at the church, and we said the prayers, and I became a baptized Christian. I felt stronger right away, too. Like I was given new strength by Jesus to go about my work. I went back on the road that night again. I didn’t tell anybody for a day, until I told John Thornhill.
I’ve tried to keep up with my religion since then. I can’t get to church most Sundays because of my traveling but I’ll read the Bible whenever I can. I want to make another religious album someday, but it will have to be without instruments. The Church of Christ feels you should make music in your hearts, but they’re against instruments for religious music.
The people in the church are good people, trying to live as close to apostles as they can. Sometimes they ask me to do a benefit or do something else. I’m proud to be a member of their church, and I just hope they understand my interest in things like reincarnation and séances.
Of course, I respect other people’s religions. I think if you’re living right with God, you can beat temptations. It really makes no difference to me what church you go to. We’re all working for the same Man, trying to get to the same Place.
Early in 1974, John Thornhill announced he was quitting my band to study religion. He got a job in a factory in Nashville and he was real happy to be home every night with his wife and children. I know they’re happier, too. It’s a rough deal for a family man to be traveling, and I respected John’s decision.
I think it was hard for Dave and the other boys to understand, though. They had all come up the hard way, just like John, and they couldn’t see giving it up just when he was starting to make good money. But everybody respected John’s decision. I guess you could say I’m the one who got left out on the deal. Since then, I haven’t had anybody to study the Bible with.
I don’t know if people are surprised to hear my religious views or not. I try not to make a big issue out of religion while I’m working because I know everybody’s got their own point of view.
In 1974, there was a big fuss when a bunch of people were celebrating Jesus outside the Opry. They were asked to keep moving and Skeeter Davis got mad at the policemen for that. As a result, she got suspended from the Grand Ole Opry, which really hurt her.
The way I feel about some of the Jesus people is this: I was walking out of the Opry one night and I was in a hurry. This girl stopped me and she kept asking, “Do you know Jesus? Do you know Jesus?” And she kept preaching to me right on the street. Well, I told her I knew Jesus since I was knee-high, and I walked right on. Sure, I know Jesus. Anybody that wants to can know Jesus. I don’t want to criticize Skeeter, because she’s got a right to her views. The Bible says you should let your light shine but I don’t think it should shine so bright it upsets other people.
It’s not for me to tell another person what to believe because like I said, I respect other religions, too. Growing up in Butcher Holler, we didn’t have any prejudices. We hardly knew any Catholics, and the Jews were written all over the Bible as God’s Chosen People, but I never knew any Jews until I got into show business. Since then, I’ve met a lot and found them to be real smart and good workers. A lot of the people in my organization are Jewish, and I learn a lot from them. I never knew that many Jews don’t eat pork, out of religious belief, until we had a barbecue one time and one of my friends said they