LETTERS: Feb. 6, 2008

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February 05, 2008 05:19 pm

— Farr challenges Neal column

Rev. Neal states it takes “more faith” to believe in atheism than to believe in a god. In his only response to my letters, “Skepticism is normal in faith,” Rev. Neal admitted no one can prove there is a god, although he further states, “. . . in our hearts we know He exists.”
“Knowing He exists” would suggest the belief in Deism which is certainly a reasonable synergy between the two extremes: fundamentalism and atheism.
I was saddened by your anti-Eastern religions format, but I realize that as a fundamental Christian your “I’m right, your wrong” philosophy requires you to attack “heretical” beliefs.
Sad that you compare Eastern religions to the “force” in Star Wars movies — what a disrespect for people whose faith differs from yours.
You continue, “These religions teach that God is more of an internal guiding force and not a personal being to be related to.”
An “internal guiding force” sounds very personal to me.
You also address your support for the trinity. Dr Bart D Erhman in his book, “The New Testament” states that 1 John 5:7-8 is the only passage in the Bible that affirms the trinity. Dr Erhman continues that this verse does not appear in any Greek manuscript prior to the fourteenth century.
He concludes: “To my knowledge, there is no textual scholar who thinks that the passage was originally found in 1 John.”
Rev. Neal confirms his belief in original sin and the need for a god to sacrifice his son to save us from original sin. As I have shown in previous letters, not only is the Adam and Eve story a myth, but Genesis contains two contradictory creation myths.
Dr A. J. Mattill, Jr., in his book, “The Seven Mighty Blows to Traditional Beliefs” states: “With no Adam there was no Fall and therefore no condemnation and no hell to which Adam subjected his posterity to eternal damnation and therefore no atonement and no redemption by Jesus Christ . . .”
He continues, “We generally overlook the fact that if the Fall and curse were not events which actually happened, then we have no solution to the ‘problem of evil’ that is, we cannot explain why people and animals suffer so much and so pointlessly in a divinely created world.”
I would like to close with a quote from Bishop John Shelby Spong, from a Christmas card I received from him: “The quest for truth in one world of religion is always ongoing and religious people get angrier over any other kind. Meet that anger with love-transforming love.".
We are all in this together — we are born without choice, we live, we die. I invite all fundamentalists to check out this transforming Christian love through the ministry of Bishop Spong.
— Larry E. Farr, Jeffersonville

Outdated and bigoted notions

Indiana House Joint Resolution 8, a bill to protect traditional marriage in the state’s Democrat-controlled House, looks like it is going to be killed in committee. Democrats apparently don't want to let us see how our representatives would vote or allow us to vote on the bill. They probably think it would be approved if the citizens of Indiana are allowed to vote.
The American Family Association says "Twenty-seven states have already passed amendments to protect their marriage laws and to prevent a judge from ordering their legislature to embrace same-sex marriage".
In July of 2006 the New York Court of Appeals ruled "that the New York Constitution does not compel recognition of same-sex marriage."
In response to that decision Howard Dean, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, issued the following written statement: "As Democrats, we believe that every American has a right to equal protection under the law and to live in dignity. And we must respect the right of every family to live in dignity with equal rights, responsibilities and protections under the law. Today's decision by the N.Y. Court of Appeals, which relies on outdated and bigoted notions about families, is deeply disappointing, but it does not end the effort to achieve this goal."
Dean speaks for Democrats and was saying that my notions - Christian notions - notions which have been with us for thousands of years, and have served this country well, that marriage as a sacred institution between one man and one woman is "outdated and bigoted.”
— Jim M. Young