Writer’s reading may be lacking
In response to a recent letter in the Times Free Press (“God smiling on justice for all”):
God is hardly smiling when an ordained United Methodist clergyperson openly betrays his vows to the UMC and the Book of Discipline and years of service to its congregants who trusted in his biblical interpretation. Then you refer us to a handy, dandy book that sorta says “read this and grow up.” Where’s your Scripture revealing a smiling God? How about opening the books of Scripture which contain Romans 1:24-28, Mark 10:2-9, Leviticus 20:10-18, James 1:14-15? No, I haven’t read your recommended book; however, I feel that you in your enthusiasm have skirted the aforementioned books as well and, may I, in all due respect, remind you that they are timeless.
If at the General Conference of 2016, you find more reasons to smile, I can assure you huge numbers of United Methodist clergy and laity will walk out of the conference and their churches and leave you and yours standing there with a smile on your face.
Peace to thee.
The Rev. David O. Pierce
Gays must win jobs on merit
Chris Anderson, shut up and sit down! Did homosexuals ever consider they got passed over for a position because they are not good at the job, not because they’re gay? Being a single, white, heterosexual male, I am now the most discriminated- against member of American society. Quit whining about being gay and win the position on merit. America owes you nothing because you’re gay!
Rusty Chastain, Soddy-Daisy
Graves gets thanks for vote on trade
Recently, Congressman Tom Graves voted for legislation that enables Congress to play its important constitutional role in formulating and directing U.S. trade policy. This legislation will benefit Georgia workers and communities by opening markets for U.S. goods and services worldwide. Thanks to efforts to promote free trade and open investment like TPA, Honda has invested nearly $350 million in Georgia to date, and the company is able to employ 930 associates in the state, including 475 manufacturing associates at Honda Precision Parts of Georgia, LLC.
In 2014, Honda exported $3.5 billion worth of U.S.-origin goods to nearly 100 countries and territories. Many of those goods contained transmissions made by your family, friends and neighbors in Tallapoosa.
Trade enables Honda associates in the U.S. to contribute to their communities and the overall U.S. economy. By voting for TPA, Congressman Graves voted to not only sustain those contributions but also to open the door to new opportunities to reach the 95 percent of the world’s consumers that live outside the United States. I want to thank Congressman Graves for his continued leadership for Georgia.
Mike Jett, V.P., Honda Precision Parts of Georgia, LLC
All messiahs not created equal
Anti-Semitism stems in part from the Jews’ refusal to accept Jesus as the promised messiah. But they were right. By their criteria, he wasn’t their messiah.
Judaism is anything but a monolithic faith, ranging from ultraconservative Orthodox to liberal Reform and Reconstructionist branches. But all are agreed Jesus was not the promised messiah. Old Testament messianic references are not as clear as some would have us believe. Consequently, this ambiguity encourages messianic and apocalyptic speculation in which some Christian fundamentalists delight in trafficking. Sadly, many of us are too biblically illiterate to confront them. So by default we have allowed them to assume an unmerited authenticity. According to Jewish messianic traditions, the anointed one will be a human, neither God’s son nor his equal. He will restore the Jerusalem temple and bring the diaspora Jews back home. He also will be a political and military figure who will lead the Jewish people out of bondage, restore Torah law and usher in an era of lasting peace. Did Jesus do any of these things?
Serious Jews wouldn’t even think of studying the Hebrew Scriptures without also reading the Midrash annotative commentary for understanding. Serious Christians probably shouldn’t either.
George B. Reed Jr., Rossville