Beware, preachers who don’t practice what you preach
Too bad Jesus, who opened blind eyes, has yet to touch Times liberals, “purveyors of stubborn prejudice and complete intolerance of any creed, belief, or opinion that differs from their own” – words which perfectly describe the attitude of the Sept. 2 editorial which used them, but fail utterly to describe Rush Limbaugh’s “Hey! Look at that!” attitude, open to facts, and the attitude of Saint Oliver Cromwell the Great, who wrote, “I beseech you in the bowels of Christ, think it possible that you may be mistaken.”
Proper Christian fundamentalists are humble; liberals proud. The proud, the hypocrites who preach doctrines they make no effort to practice, go to hell.
Please repent. Ronald Reagan used to be a liberal Democrat.
Andrew Lohr
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Baby right choice for one but not all
Brian H. Crosby wrote a moving column published on the Free Press editorial page on Aug. 25 in which he expresses his gratitude that his mother, diagnosed with cancer during her pregnancy with him, did not choose to end the pregnancy.
It should be pointed out that his mother was able to make that choice because the decision was entirely her own and not in the hands of government. Had she lived in China, which denies women the power to choose, and where the government can force a woman to terminate a pregnancy, the outcome might well have been different.
I suspect the real reason for Mr. Cosby’s column is that he would like to take that choice away from other women, who, for reasons of their own, might choose to end a pregnancy.
I, too, am happy that Mr. Cosby was born; he seems like a decent person. But neither he nor any other person or entity has any place inside the doctor’s office with a woman who is faced with an agonizing choice.
Lisa J. Scott, Dayton, Tenn.
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Do Muslims read their holy texts?
After the July 16, 2015, tragedy, a Muslim wrote, “As a Muslim and an American, I completely condemn the barbaric shooter. Islam teaches peace and love, not violence and hate.”
I am impressed some Muslims believe Islam is a religion of peace and love. In the texts of Islam, the words “peace” and “love” are unknown. Islam teaches, “fight all non-Muslims whether they are aggressive or not.”
One Hadith says, “Believers are allowed to show friendship to the disbelievers outwardly, but never inwardly. We smile in the face of some people although our hearts curse them.”
The Quran commands the believers to “strike terror into the hearts of enemies; if the enemy inclines towards peace do not (also) incline toward peace?” The holy text of Islam is full of hate, violence and intolerance towards infidels.
Some Muslims ignore the holy texts. Others take them seriously. The truth is until all Muslims will acknowledge violence and hate lie at the roots of their own sacred texts, they cannot free themselves from radical deadly beliefs and practices.
Islam is a religion of peace and love! Maybe Muslims need to read their holy texts.
Amos Taj, Ooltewah
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Hammond’s remarks take us backward
The Hamilton County sheriff’s remarks regarding the Islamic faith, published in the Sept. 1 issue of the Times Free Press, are very upsetting.
The sheriff’s remarks do not speak for me – as a person, a Jew nor as a proud resident of Chattanooga. They should not speak for the welcoming and progressive city Chattanooga envisions herself to be.
Such remarks take us backward, compelling the rest of us to play catch-up; that is, demonstrating to all that we are above painting an entire segment of our community in this way.
If, as a city and “community of connected and equally loved communities” we are to move forward, and continue to heal from the tragedies of July 16, we must reach out to one another in the spirit of compassion, understanding and respect. This is what taking the high road is all about.
Rabbi Bill S. Tepper