Soul saving

I heard a very sad story on Desert Island Discs at the weekend. Here is the BBC's summary of the interviewee:
"Sue Lawley's castaway this week is Britain’s most popular writer of historical fiction Bernard Cornwell. His work has sold more than five million copies in nine languages. His most famous character is the rifleman Richard Sharpe – an embittered, slightly villainous career soldier whose fortunes are followed through the late 18th century and early 19th."
Bernard was adopted by a fundamentalist Christian family. His adopted father's only interest was in "saving his soul". As this was never achieved he had no relationship with his father. There were times when he very much wanted to respond but it never came true for him. I found it extremely sad that a relationship could be destroyed because a child could not respond in the way that had been defined. I know there are many families where standards of "Christian" behaviour are defined and children ostracised if they cross the line. I just find it so sad that relationships are wasted because of this and could get quite cross at whoever started this whole "fundamentalist" thing.