The area that I live in (foothills of the Blue ridge Mountains in North Carolina, Little town called Hiddenite about an hour or so north of Charlotte) has been all abuzz of late with the evolution / creative/intelligent design debate.
And, as this is the smack dab middle of the bible belt and one of it's strongest front lines, you can imagine the letters to the editor in the local papers.
Well, here for my first ever pot on this great blog, is my most recent. Please tell me what you think. Keep in mind I'm trying to get people to drop this as an issue and focus one what the conservatives have done and are doing to this area.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: 3-6-05
Is not the creation of organisms that automatically adapt and change to whatever conditions they face the most intelligent design of all? Would you create a perpetual motion mechanism and make it so you had to keep messing with it and changing it yourself? Seems pretty labor-intensive and not very efficient to me.
But, if a mechanism was developed whereby it would run itself, think for itself, adapt and make changes on it's own depending on circumstances, you would hardly ever have to touch it.
I'd like to think that Jesus, having started out his life on earth as a carpenter, would appreciate labor -saving devices such as the one his Father created.
Also why do those who supposedly say they are "Christ-like" (Christian) focus on every part of the Bible except the parts that Jesus himself actually taught (the Gospels). Remember Matthew Chapter 7, Verse 1. "Judge not, least ye be judged?" Not many do I'm afraid.
It seems that Christians want to focus on the end of times, the Old Testament or the many writings of Paul but very few actually care to live by the Message of Jesus. Bottom line, love and care for each other. Never heard him say love and care for each other only if that person agrees totally with you.
Do you say to the peaceful, law-abiding, tax-paying Buddhist, Hindu, Native American, Neo-Pagan or any of the many other belief systems in this country, that they are not welcome? That just because they differ in a matter of opinion that you don't want to have anything to do with them?
And yes it is a matter of opinion. I cannot show you any concrete, scientific evidence for my belief and faith anymore than the next person can, therefore it makes it a matter of personal opinion and personal belief. Yes, there is the Bible, but I can write a book and say God communicated it through me as well as anyone can. Just because I believe something to be true does not make it a concrete fact in the minds of everyone else or even in my own for that matter. That is where faith comes in.
Please quit nit-picking over these issues that are meant as nothing more than a way to keep the people divided amongst themselves. You have your way to believe and others have theirs. If you don't want your children learning about the theory of evolution, that's fine. Pull them out of public schools and put them in private ones or home school them. I don't want my children being taught someone else's beliefs in school. I will raise them in the belief I feel they should be in, not someone else. Religion should be taught in the home. Your faith and beliefs are a private personal matter. If your faith isn't strong enough to survive without being validated by a bunch of other people than you do not have much faith in your beliefs after all.