Reflection and reason
Raymond Freese’s May 6 letter was a real trip. I loved it, even though he was highly critical of people of faith. Upon reflection I must admit that I probably come across as being too frictional at times and for this I apologize. I should know by now that you can’t win people over through argument. Trying to prove that you’re right is futile. Trying to prove that the other person is wrong doesn’t work either. What does work is simply telling what has worked for you. For example, in my case, I was a heavy smoker for more than 10 years. I was addicted and had no intention of ever quitting. But then one day because of my Christian faith I realized that it was morally wrong to smoke. At that point I easily quit in just one day. And that was many years ago.
Mr. Freese makes it sound like having faith is a bad thing that should be avoided, but when an individual studies the evidence and then uses his reasoning powers to analyze it, he is not discarding his intellect. He is not abandoning his reason. He is being rational as he automatically grows in faith. Someday this sterile faith could become a saving faith.
Mr. Freese, please don’t paint all Christians with the same brush. There are still many of us that believe in the separation of church and state. But it is interesting that you should allude to this because it is this very issue that will ultimately break the back of this country as we spiral downward and eventually self-destruct. This could all be avoided, but it would mean that the masses would have to start putting principle first in their everyday living. As it stands now God continues to gradually withdraw His protective presence from our planet as we sink deeper and deeper into the all-engulfing quagmire. If this sounds melodramatic, then it might be good to read chapter 18 of Revelations.
At any rate, I would like to thank Mr. Freese for a great letter and I wish him all the best.
Bill Kettenhofen, Kelseyville
Hold on a moment
Like many people, I like to start my day with a cup of coffee and the newspaper. It doesn’t take too long to read about the recent events, peruse the funny page, check my horoscope and of course read the letters to the editor. Recently it seems that there are only a few different members of our community sharing their ideas and concerns on the editorial page. Some authors write on a diverse number of topics, some seem to be stuck on the same theme over and over. I admit that when I see some signatures at the end of the letters, I tend to skip over that particular letter. After reading half a dozen rants about the same idea, I am finding little new information to take away from those writers.
The Record-Bee used to have a policy of only publishing two letters from the same person in a month’s time. I would urge the editor to re-instate that policy. Perhaps that would encourage other people to share their views and provide a more diverse information and opinion pool. I know some people love to see their name in print, and that notoriety may prompt them to write over and over, or even take their new found celebrity to pontificate on new subjects.
I myself believe that in the United States of America the Constitution trumps religious belief in guiding interactions between citizens, or even non-citizens. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness should be the bell weather of our thoughts. Also I feel entitled to freedom from religion. Proselytizing should, at the least, include respect for another person’s beliefs or point of view. For instance, if God made everything, who are we as humans to decide that some of his creations are “wrong.” If “All men (and women) are created equal,” who are we to decide what women should do with their bodies, or that some particular loving relationships are not up to someone else’s standard.
I’ll close with thanking you for my two letters, my 15 minutes of fame and I expect you won’t hear from me for awhile. I will paraphrase Ron Reagan, Jr. and sign this letter as a lifelong advocate to the power of logic and not afraid of burning in hell.
Keith Kirsch, Lakeport
Watch what happens
The U.S. is following a simple-minded policy in the Middle East. Instead of attacking ISIS, we should be watching them with a great deal of interest, hoping they will take over Iraq. ISIS threatens all of the Middle East, but it would threaten Iran more than any other if Iraq fell. Iran would be confronting a hostile, expansionist nation on its borders. Not only would Iran face a politically hostile force but also a traditional enemy in the ISIS Sunnis. The probability is that Iraq and Iran would fight another war, especially since ISIS would be subjugating three-quarters of the Iraqi population, who are Shiites. In any case, ISIS would certainly occupy a great deal of Iran’s time, energy, and resources.
As for the surrounding nations, some are large and tough enough to defend themselves like Turkey; some, like the Saudis, would simply buy ISIS off. Others, we could actually protect. (In conventional warfare, ISIS is no match for the U.S.)
Charles Moton, Lucerne
