Burning any Bible termed
blasphemous by pagan

This is in response to the Bible-burners, or Christian who seeks to bash another over their scriptural preference.
I first must admit I am not a Bible scholar, or even a Christian. I am pagan, and a practicing witch, but even I know the irreverence of burning such a book.

To shorten the history of it, King James I of England ordered the version written to bring harmony to the his religiously divided country. Words were changed from the existing text to appease both sides.

This was not the only time that God’s word was changed. The Protestant Bible differs from the Catholic. Whole books were removed in this change.

Before being written, a number of the events from the Bible were orally kept for decades after happening. As we all know, storytelling has a tendency to change the story with each recall. Thus, we are assured that some changes were made to those books just in the time between oral and written text.

Then you have the arguments over which Greek texts are the correct one (which appears to apply only to New Testament translations). Most of the differences are a matter of translation into English, and I doubt any of them specifically change God’s message.

If you want the best translation, learn something other than English, preferably Arabic, and go find yourself some scrolls. Better yet, how about building a time machine and traveling back in time to the actual events and witness them first hand.  Then, MAYBE, you can get the real translation.

As a pagan, I am of the understanding that your God doesn’t care which version you subscribe to, so long as you get the message intended. Love God first, your neighbor second. Love Him with all your heart, your mind, your body and your strength. Spread his message of love, of salvation, of life eternal. Know that His Son died for your sins. Repent of those sins and ask forgiveness. Those are the messages. Those are the things that count!

To me, burning ANY Bible is blasphemous. God and is Son have been found by many through all the translations.  Christians often face a hostile world. So, why would you divide yourselves further because of a reading preference?

Jamie Whitfield
Weaverville

How to measure a person? Actions called sole criteria

In the 1902 classic, “The Varieties of Religious Experience,” philosopher and psychiatrist William James chronicles his study of subjects and their religious experiences.

Where he lands is back in the first century with Paul: “It’s not in the roots that an experience can be judged but in the fruits.” In other words, if you want to examine another’s authenticity, look at what they do. Sacred action and stewardship speak for themselves as a way of life, not as a belief.

The mystics never spoke of “belief” in the transcendent — they simply lived lives based on their experience of living with transcendence. They wrote poems about that experience; not doctrine. The latter was the work of institutions eager to own that which no one can.

A person’s interior is private country; sacred ground to tend without the interruption of onlookers. It is through what we do in the world that others can know us and we can know others. Any judgment beyond this causes problems for us and others.

As Ludwig Wittgenstein would say, the N.C. constitution (in regard to Cecil Bothwell’s stance as an atheist) indicates confusion in language and takes us away from the matter at hand: the matter of present moment action.

Jonathon Flaum
Asheville

EDITOR’S NOTE: Flaum is director of the WriteMind Institute for Corporate Contemplation.

Fraudulent science behind global warming? Shameful

The inconvenient truth about manmade global warming has finally been told.

At first I thought that manmade global warming was just bad science. Now, it’s appears that it is fraudulent science.  The recent disclosure of emails regarding the conspiracy of scientists who were destroying data and overtly suppressing opposing scientific evidence and views is an eye-opener.

Shame on those Nobel Laureates for propagating this hoax, and shame on the media for its complicity and affection for Al Gore’s dramatic images of the baby polar bears and world chaos.

Shame on the U.S. Supreme Court for being so naïve as to declare CO2 harmful to human existence based on this fraud.

And most of all, shame on the U.S. Congress (Heath Schuler) for passing this fraud on to the American tax payers in the form of a “Cap and Trade” bill, which will add trillions of dollars in needless energy taxes, and will  drive what remains of U.S. industry overseas to China and India , countries  who openly defy any attempt to limit emissions.

And finally, let us all hope that when the Nobel Laureate president of the U.S.  is bowing before the U.N. at Copenhagen next week (late December), that he does not  once again take the blame for all the ills of the world that “my country” has caused, and that he doesn’t make a commitment to a worthless treaty  based on this  illegitimate scientific consensus.

CaptAIN Robert Felt, U.S.N. (Ret.)
Hendersonville

EDITOR’S NOTE: Felt is a former practicing meteorologist-geophysicist for 35 years.

Administration urged to deal
with problems, not complain

Never have I seen an administration whine and complain about the problems they “inherited” with the job.
Other presidents had much more difficult situations on their plates. Truman just did the job and ended World War II. Reagan conquered 15 percent inflation and ended the Cold War.

Responsibility comes with authority.

ALLYN M. ALDRICH
Asheville

Conservative taking helm
aspires to make difference

Several weeks ago I was appointed vice chairman of the Republican Party in Cherokee County, and am currently performing the role of interim chairmen.

Upon accepting this nomination, I was informed of a conflict that had been building within the party over the past several months, regarding the party’s need for immediate action. Understanding that both sides have felt slighted, I feel that through bickering, precious moments are fleeting.

In 1938, Winston Churchill wrote a book titled, “While England Slept,” which chronicled the lack of preparations put forth by Great Britain as Germany expanded its Nazi regime.

 If I could write a book about the 2008 elections, it would be titled, “While the GOP Slept.”

In retrospect we can now look back and blame the negative political climate and say things like “well, it just wasn’t our year”. Call me young and naïve, but frankly I do not buy that excuse. From the sidelines I watched my party point fingers and play the blame game while an eloquent man with very little political experience was thumbing through carpet samples for his new address at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

One thing that has always puzzled me about politics is the negative connotation that comes with the word Conservative. I can vividly remember being 16 years old standing outside a precinct in the rain, handing out cards that asked people to vote Republican. While having a number of people politely reject my plea, I was approached by a 70-year-old man who first asked me if I was conservative, and then proceeded to curse at me.
Although this is the first time I was yelled at for being conservative, I some how knew it would not be the last. I have tried to understand why this man was yelling, yet I have never fully wrapped my mind around how a certain word could excite such strong emotion.

Being conservative, as I was taught, means you believe in things like smaller government is better government, a free-market economy works, providing a strong military is essential, and a fundamental belief that this nation was founded under GOD.

Furthermore, conservatives believe in reading the constitution for what it says, not what it could have the possibility of saying, and demonstrating that moral issues are always worth fighting for.

The conservative movement has been defined by men such as William F. Buckley Jr., Russell Kirk, Frank Meyer, Ronald Reagan, and as of late TV personalities, such as Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity. These men have moved the conservative agenda, but I can assure you, none of them are bigger than the platform on which they stand.

As of now I am assuming the responsibilities of chairman of the Republican Party in Cherokee County and I ask that all citizens who believe in this cause stand beside me so that we might make a difference for our community, our state and our great nation.

Thomas L. Jones
Andrews

EDITOR’S NOTE: Jones is chairman of Cherokee County Republican Party.