Letters to the Editor
Picko
Published Letters: 265 Editor's Choice: 11
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I have only one thing to say the politicians who invoke their religion:
[Read the article: Huckabee: "I'll stick with God"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]"And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." Matthew 6: 5-6
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re: well duh
[Read the article: Pam Spaulding for Glenn Greenwald: Obama zapped by the third rail of black homophobia]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Obviously that's only true if the percentage of defections of social conservatives among Democrats is equal to or greater than the percentage of such defections among Republicans.
I don't think that anyone will argue that there aren't social conservatives in the Democratic party, but it's reasonable to expect that if the religous right made good on its threats to run a third party candidate, the net loss would go to the Republicans. Whether the loss would be great enough to tip the election is another matter, but if such a third party candidate were expected to have a neutral or even beneficial effect for the Republicans, there wouldn't be much purpose behind Dobson's threat, would there?
However, maybe Dobson really is just a deluded old man who doesn't have as much clout as he thinks he has, but in that case Bush has certainly wasted a lot of time and effort (and dare I say, political capital) courting him.
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No hierarchy of sins?
[Read the article: Pam Spaulding for Glenn Greenwald: Obama zapped by the third rail of black homophobia]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Laid Back Radical -
"That pretty egregiously misses the point that was made. Your next door neighbor is like a homicidal prostitute too. There is no hierarchy of sins in the Christian worldview, and the band was making the point that singling out homosexuals for condemnation is counter to their beliefs."
This needs to be said: any worldview that equates a gay person - or your next door neighbor - or even a non-homicidal prostitute - with a homicidal prostitute is morally bankrupt. Without ethical distinctions, morality is meaningless. Christians complain about "moral relativism," but let's face it, the only thing that stands between Charles Manson and paradise is a deathbed conversion - and from his heavenly vantage point Manson would be able to observe Plato, Aristotle, Buddha and Gandhi all suffering in Hell throughout eternity.
If there is no hierarchy of sins, why do Christians seem to harp on endlessly about this particular one? Why don't we hear more about onanism, or not keeping the Sabbath, or not honoring your father or mother? Shouldn't all these sins get equal time? Hell, why don't we hear Christians spend more time decrying HOMICIDE?!?
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The story of my life
[Read the article: Should I come out as an atheist?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I've been an atheist my entire adult life - actually, I was probably an atheist even before I knew I was an atheist, since I think I must have really stopped believing in God around fourth or fifth grade. Anyway, this has always posed a bit of problem for me, because I am the son of a Lutheran minister and a woman who was raised under the Assembly of God (I've often joked that my dad is a minister but my mom was always the religious one - a joke that only makes sense if you know anything about the Assembly of God). Anyway, I continued going to church until I was sixteen - I even taught Sunday school and Vacation Bible School - not out of my own volition, mind you, but because it was what was expected of me. Then, one Sunday, when I was sixteen, I just stopped going. I didn't say anything about my decision: I just stopped. Even now, I bear some guilt about this, because obviously my dad has given his whole life to his faith, and it felt like I should keep going just to support him. But I just couldn't do it. I never explicitly told my parents that I was an atheist, and I always left things ambiguous enough to allow them to maintain whatever illusions they wanted to entertain. At some point, my mother figured out that I didn't believe in God, and I asked her if she thought if I was going to Hell, and she grew very quiet and then said, "Yes." She was very non-judgemental about it, but I knew it was very painful for her to think that her son was going to suffer eternal punishment. Of course, I don't fear hell (since I don't believe in it), but I do feel terrible that my mother's belief in hell makes my atheism a burden on her. (I can't help but think of Stephen Dedalus's refusal to bow and pray for his dying mother in this context.) Since then, my mother and I have had a number of other frank discussions about these issues. She tries to be understanding, but my atheism clearly saddens her, and she still harbors the hope that the "seed" that she and my father have planted will someday bear fruit (her metaphor, not mine) and I will come back to the church. I've made clear that I don't think that's the case, but I always feel that I'm being a bit cruel by doing so. I have to say that I'm a bit fortunate because my parents are the sort of people who don't try to force their beliefs on me, and they continue to love me for who I am - and I shudder to think how things would have turned out if they weren't that way. But even under those circumstances, honesty was hard. Sorry I don't have an answer - just my own story - but I hope this at least gives you some perspective of someone else's experience making this difficult decision. Good luck!