Atheist view? Too narrow for such a diverse world

In support of his views, Dr. (John) Henderson paints God and all religion with a monocolor broad brush (in a story in last Wednesday’s edition of the Daily Planet headlined “Look to man, not some god, for answers, group told.”)

The only brush that paints the richness and variety of human religious experience is a rainbow one.

The doctor asserts that people should only look to humanity to see good done in the world, not to a supposed all-powerful deity. He emphasizes the harm done by religion, but forgets that humanity’s values that encourage good spring from religious traditions.

As a group, societies that devalue religion have accomplished as much oppression as those that are based on religion. While many look for supernatural intervention and are disappointed when they are unfulfilled, it is common for members of many faiths to believe that the positive things God wants to see done in the world come about when people seek his will and work for it.

He describes God as whimsical, sending people to Hell on a whim based upon his mood. Most of us who are Christian would say that our final disposition is based upon our response to His call in our lives, not His whim. We see God as constant and consistent even though the world isn’t.

He quotes Marx’s saying that religion is the “Opiate of the masses,” conjuring the image of oppressed people lulled into complacency and unable to articulate the pain of their own oppression. If religion should be compared to drugs, it would be more accurate to compare religion to all drugs.

For some it is a hallucinogen, sending them on a vision quest for ultimate meaning. For others, it is a stimulant, inspiring heroic acts of humanitarianism. For an unfortunate few, religion is like “angel dust,” driving them to acts of unreasoned paranoid violence. Religion is a different experience for all people.

If the doctor believes the world’s betterment comes from the unaided actions of humanity, let him show me the charities, soup kitchens and homeless shelters run by atheists. I would like to examine and learn from their model. Who are the world-renowned atheist medical missionaries working in the Third World? I haven’t their names. In Asheville, I have seen many hard-working and caring organizations, none of which support atheism or are supported by it.

As a believer in the necessity of societal transformation from a Christian perspective, I sometimes find my allies in those who come from the secular sphere. I respect them, in keeping with the advice of my guide, “Those who are not against us are with us.”

In closing, I say to those of you who still seek spiritual guidance, go ahead. Don’t let the doctor stop you. Just remember that your earthly guide is human, but if you are an enlightened consumer of spiritual truth, you will not be deceived.

Although I am a frequent contributor and sometime advisor to StreetSide, the publication of Zacchaeus House, this editorial response is my own and should not be taken as an official position of that entity.

WAYNE BURGESS
Asheville

State anti-discrimination laws termed
easy to evade, even for heterosexuals

Did you know that landlords can still perfectly legally discriminate against children, and employers against mothers, with about 90 percent effectiveness, in most states including North Carolina, despite more often doing so the illegal way?

They can still legally do this simply by discriminating against heterosexuals. Where discrimination is legal, reverse discrimination is also legal, and in this case highly profitable as well.

ALAN DITMORE
Leicester