‘Scripture is the infallible word of God’: Readers sound off
Letter to the editor:
In his column, “American churches, Scripture get it wrong on gays and lesbians,” Oliver Thomas lays out an argument for why the church has been losing members. “Churches will continue hemorrhaging members until we face the truth: Being a faithful Christian does not mean accepting everything the Bible teaches.” While Thomas’ strategy to reject the full infallibility of Scripture may make Christianity more appealing to more Americans, he forgets the true purpose of the church, which is not to build membership but to portray truth.
At the center of Christianity is the understanding that humanity is a creation of a creator who is all-knowing and all-powerful. Morality, then, is determined not from our own reason, but by the creator. According to Christian doctrine, Scripture is the infallible word of God, and therefore, the standard of morality and truth. To reject parts of Scripture based on “things that we have learned” is to replace God with reason as the standard of morality.
Phillip Todd; Falls Church, Va.
Give kids option of Bible study in schools
Letter to the editor:
As a kid, I attended public school from kindergarten until the seventh grade. It was a great rural school with excellent teachers. But like most teenagers, I lost motivation and started hanging out with others who also didn’t care about their academic scores. My parents saw the downward spiral I was headed and intervened. They sent me to a private Christian school. This opportunity changed my perspective. I found new friends who were excited about learning, and teachers who taught with their hearts and from the holy book.
Our classes were the same as public schools. I learned about the secular world’s ideas, along with the biblical teaching. The curriculum was well-rounded from all viewpoints. The holy Scripture was integrated into a morning lesson for the whole student body. This was a time for us all to “get the bugs out.” We worshiped together, we prayed for our family and friends, we spoke our concerns and gave them to God. We came together and focused our minds, preparing to receive the knowledge that was presented to us that day.
Not only was the atmosphere a positive one, there was no topic that was off limits for discussion. When you go to school, you shouldn’t have a limit or rules about what you can or can’t learn about. The Bible is full of moral and life lessons we can all apply to our lives. It tells a story of history and gives us tools we can use today. There’s no other textbook like it! As free individuals we all have the right make our own decisions, come to our own conclusions. I personally haven’t heard of any negativity or harm that came to anyone for reading the Bible.
Ultimately, the choice is yours wether to be a believer or not, but you must get all the facts to make a well-rounded decision about your future and eternity.
I see no reason why Bible studies couldn’t be offered as an elective class in schools. More schools are leaning toward dual-credited teachers and can offer kids more learning opportunities by giving them access to college courses before they even graduate.
Let’s face it, kids today are savvier and smarter at a younger age than we were. Why put a cap on learning? We can give them the opportunity to make an educated decision. Give them the tools to make the world a better place.
Elaine Prairie; Juliaetta, Idaho
Arm places of worship for safety
Letter to the editor:
With multiple active shooter incidents in mosques, synagogues and churches worldwide, the need has now become apparent to step up our safety protocols in these public venues. There is reluctance to implement safety measures in houses of worship as they feel it will lower their image of a safe place for all who enter. This has become a fallacy as the rampage has created fear in those who attend any service. The need is to institute a level of safety that does not interfere with the religious service.
It should be transparent to not discourage members, especially the elderly, from attending. Some of the proposals are to have armed attendees and make public notice that their members are carrying weapons. Worship leaders and others should be trained in the discipline of protecting and assisting all in harm’s way.
The urgent need is to implement safety measures so that we may again feel safe in any house of worship.
Bob Sweeney; Warwick, R.I.
Fear of school shootings are ‘new normal’
Letter to the editor:
There is an entire generation of American students that has grown up with constant lockdown and active shooter drills. These drills were designed to protect them and give them tools to avoid a shooting, but have resulted instead in a feeling of helplessness, dread and, for many, real trauma. If lockdown drills actually worked to meaningfully prevent school shootings, perhaps they’d be worth it. But we know that lockdown drills do not stop school shootings.
What we’re doing isn’t working. Lockdown drills and fortifying schools only breed more trauma, with our students taught to fear death around every corner. Arming teachers certainly is not the solution; many teachers have no interest in carrying a gun with them into the classroom, and many students are rightly afraid of what could happen if more guns are added to a setting supposed to nurture them.
We need to fully fund research into evidence-based solutions that will help us meaningfully address and prevent gun violence in our homes, our communities and our schools. Right now, Congress is debating federal budgets for the upcoming fiscal year, including for the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC has been denied federal funding to study gun violence for a generation. But now, we have a chance to change that. The House Appropriations Committee approved $50 million to study gun violence as the public health epidemic it is, and now it’s up to the full House and Senate to pass the budget into law.
Our students deserve real solutions that will keep them safe in their schools and actually prevent a mass shooting. They deserve to go about their days in peace, able to focus on their studies, instead of the dangers of an unknown gunman. It’s up to us to give them that opportunity. It’s up to us to give them a new “new normal,” one that allows them to live their lives free of fear.
Kris Brown, president of the Brady Campaign; Washington, D.C.
Our concerns about opioid rules were right
Letter to the editor:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acknowledged that its 2016 opioid guidelines were misinterpreted about unintended consequences resulting from rigid, one-size-fits-all policy solutions. And while largely supportive of the CDC’s goal of providing physicians with evidence-based information about risks and benefits of opioid therapy for chronic pain, the American Medical Association voiced concerns in 2016 about state legislators, health plans pharmacy chains and others using the guidelines to create hard-and-fast rules that would have the effect of limiting or denying care to patients. That’s exactly what happened, as explained in USA TODAY’s article “Feds issue new warning to doctors: Don’t skimp too much on opioid pain pills.”
We appreciate the CDC’s efforts to reframe the guidelines. Specifically, we will need CDC and other thought leaders to call on health insurance companies, pharmacy benefit managers, pharmacy chains, and state and federal policymakers to reevaluate how they are implementing policies based on the CDC guidelines.
We must work together to support and promote individualized patient care that will improve patient outcomes, reduce harm and end the epidemic.
Patrice A. Harris, president-elect of the American Medical Association; Chicago
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ‘Scripture is the infallible word of God’: Readers sound off
