An interesting religious conversation took place recently in the letters section of The State News. The discussion, on sin and homosexuality, reminded me of a quote from the brilliant British philosopher Bertrand Russell, "When two men of science disagree, they do not invoke the secular arm; they wait for further evidence to decide the issue.
I fail to understand why The State News continues to print the hateful rhetoric of Benjamin Greathouse when it is clear he is the sole voice of his self-proclaimed "majority opinion." Perhaps he failed to notice that his third letter in just as many weeks was literally surrounded by dissenting opinions. I suppose I should be thanking him, though.
The idea that someone would equate lying to his parents about a bad grade or sneaking a friend into the cafeteria for free food to the many controversial and complex issues of homosexuality is both insulting and laughable ("Bible says all sin is equal in God's eyes" SN 7/28). It is insulting not only because it trivializes the basic American rights we gays are denied each day - such as marriage, hospital visitations for our dying partners, tax advantages which come with marriage, adoption rights and my right to defend this country I love so much, etc.
I am writing in response to the article regarding how lawmakers are trying to ban "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" from store shelves ("State asks for recall of explicit game" SN 7/28). Granted, the makers of the game were irresponsible for putting hidden, sexually explicit scenes in the game, but why does the game need to be pulled from the shelves if it is properly re-rated with the "adults only" rating?
I think Ryan McCormick's recent column mistakes prudence for pride ("British gov't should try to understand deeper issues behind attacks" SN 7/28). Tony Blair's policies, and Bush's all along, have not been simply stubborn, hardheaded reactions to situations.
The State News has been discussing the April 2-3 disturbances for quite some time now, and often the topic has been whether police officers acted improperly.
Regarding the Bible, homosexuality and sin: If the Bible is to be followed to the letter, all male students at MSU must leave.
This is in response to a letter of mine that was edited ("RHA embezzlement articles redundant" SN 7/26). The part that was removed was detrimental to the following statement: "It seems to me that MSU, RHA and The State News are into covering up and revealing only what they want to." The preceding statement was about money that was stolen from the dorm movie offices - money that accrues from late fees. On police blotters from the MSU Department of Police and Public Safety dated Jan.
This is in response to Brandi Walker's letter ("Other viewpoints toward Bible exist" SN 7/26). While I do not hold a formal degree in theology, I have received many years of theological and doctrinal instruction (from Christians of many different traditions) and have served as a missionary in Latin America.
The city of East Lansing asserts the Cedar Village area is a poor place for students to gather after NCAA Tournament basketball games because it's congested and hard to effectively police.
As horrific and paralyzing as the July 7 and 21 bombings are for London commuters, the British government seems to be more concerned about showing resilience than understanding why their largest city is being bombed. As reported by Sarah Lyall in the July 27 edition of The New York Times, "Prime Minister Tony Blair promised on Tuesday not to 'give one inch' on British policies in the Middle East, and he said Britain's three main political parties were moving closer to introducing stricter anti-terrorism laws for Parliament to consider in the fall." Rather than not giving an inch, maybe Blair should try to understand these terrorist acts and the people behind them instead of discounting them as senseless acts of destruction.
State House Democrats planned to announce legislation that would allow Michiganians to buy about 150 brand-name drugs from Canada and other countries at significantly lower prices than in the United States. The legislation would aim to allow Michigan to take part in the I-SaveRx program, which is limited to brand-name drugs for treating chronic and long-term conditions.
As I read this ongoing debate about homosexuality and Christianity, I feel that we are inching closer and closer to the truth.
I appreciate John Bice's willingness to interact with the issues I raised in my letter ("Faith needs reason, not blind beliefs" SN 7/5). Yet in his most recent article ("Religion is 'blind faith;' anyone could have written Bible storybook" SN 7/21) he seems to be unwilling to address the fatal flaws and inherent contradictions that exist in the arguments he advances. Space prohibits me from offering a detailed response; however, I would like to briefly address a few of the more egregious errors found in his article.
The general problem with the letter ("Step forward" SN 7/12) stems from a misunderstanding of what religion is all about.
The recent London case of mistaken identity which resulted in the murder of an innocent Brazilian citizen is an atrocious, yet cutting example of trigger happiness and fear that runs rampant in today's world. Jean Charles de Menezes was killed last week when he was shot eight times by London anti-terrorist police.
Benjamin Greathouse seems to have missed the point of my previous letter ("Letter writer wrong with interpretation" SN 7/19). There are pastors with more theological training than he has that believe that homosexuality is not a sin. Perhaps he should seek out and learn about these viewpoints before dismissing them.
I am confused as to why these articles about the Residence Halls Association incident are pretty much the same ("Ex-RHA official pleads guilty to embezzlement" SN 7/25). It seems The State News is scraping the bottom of the barrel to get a story.
In my last column ("Campus radio station should diversify its daytime music rotation" SN 7/19), diversity was the topic, but judging from some of the responses it received, it seems that race might have taken the spotlight instead. Race is an imprecise way to describe a person, or a radio format for that matter.
A commonsensical conclusion would be that misconduct in scientific research wouldn't be lucrative enough for anyone to partake in it at all.