Get out of The Dark Ages and other letters to the editors

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Get out of the Dark Ages

I feel very fortunate to live in an area that has so many holier-than-thouers who feel it is their God-given duty to sit around on their thrones and pass judgment on their fellow man. It must be wonderful to be living a life that is so pure and non-sinful that you feel you can cast stones at human beings you don't even know.

And I love the way you, in lock step, like to use that oxymoron phrase "we love the sinner, but hate the sin." It's your rules that must be obeyed, not God's, to get into your little clique of the righteous and the holy.

All this coming from groups that have Bible study their whole lives and still don't know the Bible, but can certainly spout the passages that agree with their hatreds and prejudices. And it's loaded with those phrases and stories written over 2,000 years ago by men who didn't have a clue about what was going on in the world, just their little niche. We have had many years to overcome these tales and now we have science to explain most of the mysteries of life. Let's get out of the Dark Ages.

ANN BENTON, Signal Mountain


European trip is questioned

An article entitled "Georgia officials' trip to France raises questions" appeared In the Metro section of your Sep. 14 paper.

A few years ago, I went to Atlanta to pay a visit to the State Board of Education. The amount of space they occupy is huge. I had some questions to ask regarding our own school system and was told that our school system answers to no one but the voters. So why do we even need a State Board of Education? I am hoping that our next governor will make it one of his/her priorities to completely dismantle or drastically scale back the State Board of Education. We don't need to spend taxpayer money to take a trip to any country. If we want our students to learn other cultures, we have plenty of those in this country who, I'm sure, would be glad to attend classrooms and tell about the country in which they were born and grew up. I don't think our school systems are frugally utilizing our money. Many students cannot even pass college entrance exams and have to pay to repeat courses they should have already had in school. Please contact your elected officials.

CHERISE MILLER, Ringgold, Ga.


Christians being persecuted in Syria

When President Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize he gave a good speech. It's online, read it. He quoted the Golden Rule and he said Islamic extremist shouldn't be allowed to take away others human rights through violence. The President noted that we must uphold the "highest moral conduct in war." Recently we began arming the "rebels" who have been identified with terror groups on our watch lists and with links to al-Qaida.

Please consider, Christians in Syria are being murdered, raped and tortured by these "rebels"and be-headings have become a source of entertainment. Yet, our President is fixated on chemical weapons use by Syria. He has not chastened the "rebels" who relish forcing their victims to submit to Islam, nor has he remarked when infidels are given a gruesome death for refusal to convert. It was a good speech, Peace Prize President.

CLAY WHITTAKER


Judges aren't immune from laws

From the front page of the Sep. 12 Times Free Press, "Chattooga judge admits illegally charging fees." The judge admittedly has been doing this for years. He says that charging such fees is "the proper thing to do" and "it's in the best interest of justice." Really? Charging illegal fees is in the best interest of justice? Nowhere in the article did it mention if the judge was going to be arrested for breaking the law. It appears that if you are a government official in Georgia, you're immune from arrest and prosecution for breaking the law.

GARY HAYES, Ooltewah


Bilyeu's death causes sadness

I was saddened to learn of the untimely passing of Guy Bilyeu. A few years back I was handling the Animal Control Docket for the City of Chattanooga and Guy was the director of the Humane Society. He was always a pleasure to work with. Always respectful, caring, and accommodating, and always concerned for the rights of citizens and animals.

When McKamey took over the animal control for the City it would have been easy for Guy to have been upset because it took away some of the Humane Society's business. Instead Guy took the high road and supported McKamey in many of it's projects. I believe he did so because of his love and dedication to the rights and welfare of the animals being sheltered.

But more importantly, Guy was just a nice person. A wonderful human being who left us far too soon. I will miss him.

JUDGE RUSSELL BEAN, Chattanooga City Court


Pastor's perspective cause for concern

I was deeply disturbed by Brian Cosby's "editorial" Four Common Misconceptions: A Pastor's Perspective. This diatribe was presented as absolute truth as opposed to narrow-minded and homophobic opinion. To compare being gay with being alcoholic is very hateful and simply ill-founded. I certainly respect the good doctor's right to his opinion, but I have to wonder how it makes the gay members of his congregation feel. Does his congregation include gay people? How does he love and minister to them? He ends his perspective by proclaiming his love for the very people he has just judged and insulted. And, then he punctuates this judgment with a dare to call him a bigot by calling those who disagree with him bigots. Really? My question is this: Where is Christ in this kind of pontification?

BROTHER RON FENDER, The Brotherhood of Saint Gregory