LITTLE ROCK — Few real differences
There seems to be a long-running antagonism between certain letter writers on the Voices page between proponents of science versus God and a number of self-acclaimed Christians.
I don’t suppose that all espousers of, say, the Big Bang Theory are atheists. And not all of those in favor of evolution declare themselves atheists. Yet there is at least an implicit lack of the necessity for God in the so called scientific accounts most self acclaimed evolutionists would give.
From where I sit, there’s not much to choose between creationism and evolutionism. They both describe, in nearly identical terms, the assembling of the visible world and the rise and development of life.
The only real difference I can see lies in the timeline employed. And the simple fact that evolution refers to the process in view of its results while creation speaks from the point of origin.
That doesn’t mean evolution is a substitute or stand-in for God. Even with a capital E, it is not a real entity in any sense, nor the driving force of the process, just the collected set of observable results. And it doesn’t begin to address the question of beginnings.
At least that’s how it looks to me.
STANLEY JOHNSON
Little Rock
Honor love every day
On February 14th, we celebrated love’s special day, and if record sales of cards and flowers are any indication, Valentine’s Day was a resounding success. Needless to say, it was also a welcome respite from weeks of dire headlines and a stinging winter of discontent.
Which raises two questions:
Since love is in the air, why wait for another year to catch the spirit and celebrate God’s greatest gift?
With spring just around the corner, why wait until next February to nurture a budding romance? After all, as someone has said, “Love is not a promise we make; it’s something we do, today, in real time.”
Truth be told, love is a rose that will either grow or die over time depending on how it’s treated every day. To put it more succinctly, love is like electricity-it must be handled with care.
For love to grow, we must stay connected, grounded in God’s grace and turned on to a power source that breaks the grip of the polarized mindset of the present day.
Simply put, I submit it’s time to take love to heart, give someone a hug and turn every trying day into Valentine’s Day.
MIKE PAFUNDI
Hot Springs
Dangers for students
As soon as one student arrives at school, that student is in great danger. Our student body is too large to be protected by a small amount of security.
The amount of school protection for elementary, middle, and high school students is very low. I think that adults should want to protect all children while they are trying to get an education.
I believe the three top reasons for schools being unsafe are a lack of teacher/staff connectivity with students, the lack of supervision when changing classes, and the amount of drugs used between students.
Our education is based upon whether or not we are able to learn without being harmed. Yet the schools have open access for anyone in the world to make a visit.
ANTHONY MILLER
Sherwood
Cherish gift of nature
Perhaps the thing I loved most about my first school was the towering pine grove on the spacious grounds. I enjoyed lying under the trees on a thick pallet of pine needles listening to the wind blow through the boughs. This was the spot where the first-grade girls met every day at recess. We played house.
We were industrious little home builders, each day repairing wear and tear on the wall of pine needles by 6-year-old feet. Daily housekeeping duties included fluffing up our pallets to make certain they would be comfy for nap time, and sweeping the dirt floors with our pine-branch brooms. We chose our own roles each day in the family lineup. I can still remember the lovely cocooned feeling once when I was chosen baby. It must have been therapeutic. In reality, I was the oldest of my siblings and shouldered quite a lot of responsibility looking out for them.
At nap time we rested on our cushy pallets inhaling the clean evergreen scent. Often when I inhale that scent, I am immediately carried back to one of the best periods of my life in that lovely setting under the majestic towering trees.
Sometimes I think about how important trees have been to me throughout my life besides their crucial role as major provider of oxygen to the earth and a savior of groundwater. I firmly believe that since much of the happiness in my own life has been a gift from the natural world, the preservation of nature is the greatest of all gifts that we should pass on to our own children and the children of the world.
NANCY D. CLARK
Little Rock
He still challenges us
A recent letter on the Voices page proved most interesting to me. The word “zygote” caught my eye. A word which was part of thought-provoking, outside-the-box, probably polarizing questions.
A memory stirred. I flashed back about 30 years to freshman zoology class at a small, conservative Christian university. The professor posed similar questions: “When does life begin?” “What makes us human?” “What is a soul and when does it enter a being?” “Can one reconcile evolution and Christianity?”
Pithy stuff for a class full of 18-and 19-year-olds, particularly at that university, where I’m pretty sure his method of teaching raised more than a few eyebrows of the higher-ups. He wasn’t forcing his opinions on us. In fact, I don’t think any of us knew exactly what his opinions were. He simply challenged us to analyze, reason, debate, meditate, pray-whatever it took to come to our own conclusion-much like the letter.
Imagine my surprise, then, when I saw the letter was signed by the professor himself, Victor Oliver. Actually, I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised at all, given its content. It’s just that from an 18-year-old’s perspective, he seemed ancient then-50 at least.
Surely most of us have had a teacher who had an impact on us, made an impression, made a difference, but we never got around to thanking. Serendipity!
Thanks, Dr. Oliver-I can tell you haven’t changed a bit.
DAVID H. MOSLEY
Camden
Editorial, Pages 17 on 02/23/2013