LETTERS

Sufferers of a curse?

After Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon ordered the withdrawal from Gaza in 2005, it was reported that he was ceremoniously cursed by Orthodox Jews in Israel. Sharon had a stroke in January 2006.

Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was also cursed before his 1995 assassination. No wonder to me that Israeli leaders won’t stop the settlement.

J.E. CALDWELL Stuttgart

Beautiful, believable

One of the regular Voices page writers wrote: “Is the Bible the words of God or is it the work of men? We don’t know, do we?”

There seems to be a lot of that these days. Few have certainty about many sacred truths from the Bible or from its living church. I believe Jesus founded the church on Peter and it lives today, much broken, but continuing to bring people to the Lord and the scriptures in a beautiful and believable way. Without Peter, the church would flounder and lose its way and people would claim that they have the right way, even if they encourage killing the unborn or encourage gay activities.

TOM KELLER Carlisle

Belief in experience

One summer at seminary I was to fill the pulpit as a student pastor in a church. My interview went fine until an elder asked me, “Do you believe in the virgin birth?” I answered that Presbytery required me to take philosophy before seminary. I learned that interaction between gods and humans in history is not uncommon. Can I prove the virgin birth happened? No. Do I believe in it? Yes. The God I believe in is capable of it if it was necessary.

There is no way any of us can prove the Bible is correct, and we do damage to it every day. But I believe scientists have proven in many ways that there has to be a force behind this wonderful universe. I believe that the Bible was written by men witnessing to God in their lives. As a result, I am not required to dance around discrepancies I find in it.

If I were to write Genesis today, I would use the big bang theory just as the writer used the Babylonian creation story in his. He was only trying to say no matter how it began, God did it.

In my experience as a hospital chaplain anyone who died medically and was brought back to life was not afraid to die again because in their opinion it was wonderful. That is why, although I do not understand homosexuality, I feel if it is a sin; they will pay a price. The same is true of abortion. If God feels it is wrong, he is able to deal with it without my help.

I remember when we thought it was a sin to have women pastors or when women were required to wear hats in church and keep their mouths shut. Things have changed over the centuries. How much of it is God’s idea and how much is man’s is anyone’s guess.

FRANK YOUNG Bella Vista

Through a child’s eyes

We can learn a lot from children.

They don’t seem to care about the color of a person’s skin when they play. They don’t seem to worry about the religious or economic status the others are.I think they enjoy life for what it is.

What happened to the child in all of us?

If the world would take the time to listen and see life the way a child does, maybe we would all be better people.

STEVEN ARMSTRONG North Little Rock

Couldn’t do worse …

I’m a kid, and I think cats should be mayor.

KAITLYN BAILEY North Little Rock

Don’t give up thinking

With my 94th year already started, I’ve found another item or two which will no doubt raise the hackles of some of my critics.

I’d like to challenge them to answer this claim: We were all born as atheists, having no religion of any kind in our minds or brains. All religions are drilled into our heads by parents and others following one or more programs promulgated by men to control others. I say they are manmade, and the proof is in that there are so many of them, as least a dozen major ones, thousands of variants or lesser ones. All claim to be the only true ones.

After our birth we are not given any choice nor any voice in determining what we should believe. We are told. It is not until we grow beyond direct parental influence that we, if we wish and are strong enough, can use our innate ability to fully examine all the ideas we have been bombarded with, from where they originated and how well they pass the test of truth.

It is from this freethinking process that I returned to my original nonreligious belief. I chose to examine all claims in the light of reason, and concluded that no religion has the only fully believable answer to successful living. I believe no religion has had anything to do with all the advances of science; they have all been a hindrance to scientific development. Because of their many differences, I believe they have been major causes of most wars. Mankind, in my opinion, would be far better off without them.

I wish well to those who disagree, but hope they will do serious thinking about it. Life, even at 94, is too short to give up thinking.

ROD GREIG Rogers

Define abominations

My uncle Joe is an avid reader of the letters to the editor. He is particularly thankful for writers who believe in the book of the talking snake.

He tells me these people know God well enough to tell us his wishes.He reads the same book, yet he still has many questions. Apparently, the holy ghost is not helping him out. He asks me if he burns a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, and knows it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord, what to do about his neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should he smite them and, if so, how should he smite them?

Leviticus states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. Since he wears reading glasses, does his vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?

His best friend feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. But after listening to Duck Dynasty people, he doesn’t agree.

Can the regular letter writers-they know who they are-settle this by listing all abominations in order of greater or lesser degree? It’s about time people quit shaking their fists at God. Don’t think this is funny. He is serious.

CHUCK STEPHENS North Little Rock