LETTERS

The road to happiness

Have you ever experienced true happiness? I’m not talking about your everyday joy that comes from our daily lives. No, what I’m talking about is true happiness. The kind of feeling that can only come from one source: God.

Only God can give you true happiness. How, might you ask? By redemption through Jesus Christ. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross provided us all with the opportunity to have our sins literally erased. Through Jesus we now have a most remarkable opportunity to be saved from our sins and to be redeemed in the eyes of our God.

This is the most marvelous and wonderful gift that we could have ever received. Being redeemed in God’s eyes means that when we pass from this earth and go stand in judgment, we can be confident that what we have done with our lives before being forgiven will not be held against us. Frankly, it sounds almost too good to be true, for I’ve done some pretty regrettable things before I came to my senses and asked for forgiveness from God through Jesus Christ. I’m pretty certain that you, too, have done a few things that you wished you never had, either.

And that brings us to happiness. Being able to go day to day knowing in our hearts that God has forgiven us of our sins is the one most certain way to experience true happiness.

BRAD BLEVINS Rogers Must reignite morals

I recently heard a courageous preacher make two statements: “America is going to hell” and “Christians are cowards.” Right on both counts.

America is currently under the judgment of Almighty God. How could it not be? We have purged God from our society. The old wrong is the new right. The old right is the new wrong. (God’s standards of morality are unchanging.) I believe our national leadership is corrupt and arrogant with few exceptions. We have murdered millions of innocent unborn and sometimes born. Godless insanity.

Study the lives and writings of our founding fathers. I believe they were godly men who understood that divine providence had a guiding hand in the creation of our country; if some pseudo intellectual tells you differently, he is an intentional liar. I think our founding fathers also knew that the framework they set up for our nation would only work for a God-fearing, moral people, not a nation of heathens. Is that where we are today?

Christians: What are you hearing from the pulpit? “Social justice” (code word for socialism)? “Political correctness?” “Go along to get along?” If so, remove yourself to a place where God’s truth is being boldly proclaimed.

Christian men: Find your spine, get off your hands and open your mouths to proclaim the eternal rules of order and right which heaven itself has ordained.

JACK G. WAXENFELTER BerryvilleTruth and Demo-cats

It would appear that, with the truth about the disaster in Benghazi finally coming out, the Democrats in Washington are acting like a bunch of cats in a sandbox.

Let the truth come out. The American people deserve no less.

CURTIS VICK Heber Springs On unequal responses

June 14, 2002, Karachi, Pakistan, 12 dead; Feb. 28, 2003, Karachi, Pakistan, two dead; July 30, 2004, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, two dead; Dec. 6, 2004, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, nine dead;March 2, 2006, Karachi, Pakistan, four dead; Sept. 12, 2006, Damascus, Syria, four dead; July 9, 2008, Istanbul, Turkey, three dead; Sept.17, 2008, Sana, Yemen, 16 dead.

The above are all United States embassy deaths which occurred during the George W. Bush administration. I don’t recall any hearings or right-wing outrage over any of these deaths.

Of course, that could simply be because our president and Secretary of State were Republicans during these events.

I believe this is nothing more than a transparent attempt to sully President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. The selective outrage of the Republican Party regarding Benghaziis truly breathtaking. They aren’t just dancing on the edge of hypocrisy, they have collectively jumped all the way in.

Oh, and why aren’t these outraged Republicans chastising their representatives in Congress who cut the funding for our overseas embassies? Think if the funding hadn’t been cut they might have been able to provide tighter security? Logic and common sense say yes.

Does letter-writer Phil Phillips think these families might have also liked to have some answers? Just curious.

P.K. CRANFORD Pine BluffHis wit and wisdom

I would like to second all the kind words about “Mr. Paul” Greenberg in Boyd Burkholder’s recent letter. I call him that because he once said something to the effect that he would be proud to merit such a moniker when former Senator Blanche Lincoln took umbrage at being called “Miss Blanche.”

In addition to the well-earnedplaudits from Mr. Burkholder, I would like to say that, although Mr. Paul comes from a different religious tradition than mine, I have seldom seen mine written about with such understanding, compassion and appreciation. I consider his essays “The religion of the South” and “We leave Egypt tonight” so worthwhile and memorable that I keep copies in my Bible.

Write on, Mr. Paul, and keep reminding us of our cultural heritage and our roots for as long as God graces us with your wit and wisdom.

KARL T. KIMBALL Little RockThat’ll teach Hillary

Now I think we know just how Hillary Clinton got that concussion that kept her from testifying sooner on this Benghazi scandal.

She was banging her head against the wall crying out, “Why did I go along with those guys? I ruined my chances to be the first woman president!” DON SHELLABARGER Little Rock