Letters

POINT:
Thanks to Mr. Ken Lott of Columbia [Letters, Sept. 1997 POINT]. I wondered if anyone else had these feelings about the evangelicals and their definition of a Christian. He expressed the situation exactly and eloquently. I was raised in the Presbyterian Church by loving parents hwo lived what they believed. I remember when, at the age of 12, I joined the church because I realized the power of the teachings of Jesus.

There was no point at which I "got saved" and stopped sinning. Like Mr. Lott, the process is ongoing and I'm still striving. I have failed sometimes, but I know I can have another chance because of God's forgiveness.

I, too, try not to have to say I'm a Christian. I try hard to live so that others can see I am one. Anytime someone points out to me what a good Christian she is, I run the other way. She so many times fails to fulfill some obligation, or he neglects to do the service he promised to do.

Now, about a name: perhaps we can be called KEN-SANDRAS.

Sincerely,

Sandra L. Johnson, Georgetown

POINT:
For some reason your publication periodically lands unsolicited on my desk. I wish it didn't, as it's often quite offensive. I stopped reading the current issue on page 2. Ken Lott's ignorant attack upon the Catholic Church may have been only a letter to the editor, but it typifies the abortionist mentality of The Point. Opposition to abortion is not the province of "the Roman Catholic right fringe"; it's a central tenet of the Church's teaching.

Incidentally, this is a church whose teaching on poverty, human rights, the Third World, the death penalty etc. etc. places it right on the cusp of true progressive thought. So stop obsessing about abortion -- if support of abortion makes one a liberal than people like Barry Goldwater are liberals !

ZS_DBARNWELL@scsu.edu

Thanks for putting POINT online,

Now we "get the POINT" even in Elgin!

Uscjesus@aol.com

POINT:
The POINT is on the Internet? The world is no longer safe for decent law-abiding right thinking conservatives.

Call out the dogs -- and get my parental controls!

Good luck,

T. Haskins, Metorp@aol.com

POINT:
Let Pat Robertson and his Coalition have their tax break -- this is America. [Regarding "The Right Stuff, Tracking the Christian Coalition," July/Aug. POINT.] Although transparently a political organization with a national agenda, the Coalition is arguably religious, too. A liberal, charitable spirit compels recognition of their religious sincerity. For who can judge what is in their hearts? Grant them the same tax-break freedom to practice religion they surely would grant others -- no argument here.

But the Coalition should not be allowed to call themselves Christian. Its leadership seems to be no more "Christian" than the Righteous Brothers were "righteous." They are flying under false colors. How? Most of its members seem to be conservative of the Fundamentalist stripe, whose belief is fixed upon the central, but arguable heretical doctrine of biblical literalism. To the extent this is the case: yes, heretical, judged by traditional standards of "orthodoxy."

As Fundamentalists convinced by biblical literalism, conservatives are caught up in the one new and seductive heresy to threaten Christian faith in modern times. Believers of this sort have effectively departed the household of the faithful in the biblical Christian tradition. Like their predecessor false teachers and deceived believers of old, they should be condemned as frauds and heretics.

Many, of course, know not what they do nor what they have become by allowing the letter of Scripture to drive out the spirit, the biblical faith to be converted into idolatrous scientific propositions, and the Almighty of revelation to be replaced by a false god of selfish convenience. Too bad.

In previous centuries, excommunication, anathema, and fire awaited heretics. If Christians are more civilized today, alas, we apparently are less passionate about and less concerned for the integrity of the faith we inherit from the biblical period. We should be more concerned, more courageous, and less fearful of offending the well-intended. Christian charity should practice a tough love when it comes to defending the faith of the martyrs and the honor of its name from theft.

Kevin Lewis, Columbia

POINT:
We obviously have not learned very much from our lessons of history; ours is still a "us vs. them" mentality. However, the article ["Divide and Conquer," July/Aug. POINT] did strike me as very condescending to the black race. Trust is a two-way street and since the white people of that era were instilled with a deep distrust of black people, trust could not have been an option for blacks. The Underground Railroad bears record of that! I'm not sure the article serves any useful purpose today other than to inflame.

LININS@aol.c

Dear People,
Your site came up on a search I was doing because the lead-in was part of the Willie Lynch speech of 1712 ["Divide and Conquer," July/Aug. POINT]. Ever since we heard it by Minister Farrakhan at the Million Man March we have been endeavoring to find the source of the Lynch speech. We have found innumerable other Lynches, but not this one. Do you know the source? It surely would be appreciated.

Thanks a lot,

Terry B., El Cerrito, CA

To the editor:
The budget scheduled for balancing in the year 2002 is ephemeral, temporary, "smoke and mirrors." By the time 2005 rolls around, Congress will be up to its ears in deficit again, merely because of the built-in demographic explosion of unconstitutional entitlements like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.

Any child of liberty will yell "PRIVATIZE!" Get the monkey off our back! The recent bipartisan deficit reduction honeymoon instead of cutting the budget, like we were led to believe, increased spending!

George Will in his 1992 book Restoration, claims the political leaders are just sending the bill to future generations. Ross Perot says essentially the same thing in his 1993 book Not For Sale At Any Price. Reform Proposal #3 says "Pass the Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution."

Passing such an amendment, as Jefferson wrote in a letter to Madison in 1789, would protect the rights of the unborn from our wayward transgressions

The House passed the amendment and twice we got the Senate within a vote or two. We have to keep being the squeaky wheel with our senators.

LET'S JUST DO IT!

Robert Jay, Thousand Oaks, Calif.