Thank you Kim Hines. You expressed so well, and so publicly, exactly what I have thought [MWP July 16-29]. Why do those fundamentalist Christian groups, or anyone else, feel the right, or the need, to proselytize—to assume they have the answer for everyone, to try to "spread their gospel?"
The two women imprisoned in Afghanistan should not have been there in the first place. Indeed, Christians have plenty to do in this country. They must listen, hear what others have come to believe and realize they do not have the right answers for everyone.
Barbara K. Belew
St. Louis Park, MN
On the other hand
I found Kim Hines's editorial "When spreading the good word isn't good" offensive to my faith and full of naivete about biblical Christianity. Hines, if she is purporting to be a Christian, would do well to read the Scriptures regarding evangelism and sharing the Good News (Gospel) that all followers of Jesus Christ are supposed to practice (see Matthew 28:19-20—the final words of Jesus).
What would Hines say about the works of Mother Theresa? Did she "smack of religious colonialism and passive terrorism"?
While I agree that Mercer and Curry may have overstepped some boundaries, I know from people who knew them in Afghanistan that they were good people and had the best interests of the people in mind.
Please do some research and attempt to understand biblical faith before you lash out next time, Ms. Hines.
Stephen Hunt
St. Paul, MN
Therapy via Copley-Woods
Sometimes you just have to laugh cause the whole thing is so sad you could cry or really get angry and have a heart attack. Thanks for allowing me a good chuckle with the letter to right-wing nutbars [MWP Aug. 13-26]. There are times when I am amazed at how powerful we must be to trigger these amazingly stupid reactions from the right wing. I'm one of those little old ladies living with her partner in lesbian sin with our four beautiful pomeranians in the suburbs of Richmond, VA, but they are so afraid of me....TOWANDA!
Mary Gay Hutcherson
Richmond, VA
A Fleming fan
I thoroughly enjoyed the profile of Cass Lake's Green mayor, Elaine Fleming. It is good to see the sparks of healing begin in the Cass Lake community. I wish Mayor Fleming and her community well!
Will Donovan III
St. Louis Park, MN
Not a nutbar
"Dear right-wing nut bar." [MWP Aug. 13-26] My oh my, aren't we ever testy! I learned many years ago that a sure sign that someone was unable to make their viewpoint in an intelligent manner is when they would start to call the opposition derogatory names and other sophomoric tantrums.
I've listened to Focus on the Family and I have never heard Tom Minnery or anyone else in any way equate homosexuality with unwanted pregnancy. If I wanted to, I could probably look up some past writings of Ms. Haddayr Copley-Woods and take a part of what she said here and a part of what she said there and splice it together to make it look like she said something really stupid, and then say like she said concerning Mr. Minnery: "Sharp as a marble."
"You have to do more than thump the Bible. You have to actually open itŠJesus wants us to love and not judge one another." Look who's calling the kettle black! Jesus also said, "Go and sin no more." So unless you have honestly read the Bible or the life of Jesus instead of trying to take things out of context, please spare those of us of whom the Scripture is a part of them the Sermonette!
There is such a thing as Brotherly and Sisterly love, but if you don't treat another man or woman as a "Dildo" it wouldn't be called homosexuality now would it? If those in the Gay and lesbian lifestyle believe that they are being "persecuted" here in the U.S., I dare them to go over to, for example, Saudi Arabia to flaunt their lifestyle and let's see what happens to them!
I understand how it's easier to rely on "Politically Correct" stereotypes instead of asking the tough questions and doing the research on what people believe and why. After all it causes less headaches.
Rebecca Fahlin
Bloomington, MN
Media hurts
To Kim Hines: I read with great interest your article entitled "Bad schools make us
a weak democracy" [MWP Aug. 27-Sept.9]. As an educator in the St. Paul school district, I am equally concerned about the failure of our schools to properly educate students. I think we've made some great strides towards correcting that, but I admit we still have a long way to go. The St. Paul Reads program, which requires every student, kindergarten through 12th grade, to read at least 25 [books] each year, is just the tip of the iceberg.
I am not writing to espouse the virtues of the public school system but to ask you to take a look at the role the media have in the "dumbing down of America." Newspapers written at 5th-grade reading levels, watered-down news programs that spoonfeed us niceties, even in times of war, and politicians (i.e., the President) who can't conjugate simple verbs.
We are inundated with poor grammar and misspelled words every day, so much so that we barely even notice it any more, from the Applebee's jingle ("Eating good in the neighborhood") to Hom [furniture stores]. (Hom spells hom, rhymes with Tom, not home.) We hear things like "Nothing is better than Aleve" (ok, then give me nothing if that's better than Aleve) or "That birdhouse ain't gonna build itself" (the new Boy Scout recruitment slogan) and most people don't even realize that there is something wrong with these sentences.
Perhaps if we started paying our teachers like we do professional athletes or spending the kind of money on education that we do for sports venues, then it might be justified to blame the schools, but until such time, we need to encourage those who are trying to make a difference, not tear them down.
