Let's get God out of politics

It's time to get God out of politics, especially the lie in our traitorous Declaration of Independence that we have "inalienable rights" from God, along with "God's nature" and associated fictions like "natural law." God was never consulted about rights and they create a bypass around the Gospel of salvation in Christ, as well as bringing God down to a human level.

God's only gift is his son, Jesus Christ, for redemption from our sins. How can Christians preach Jesus to people who can say they already have their rights, according to Christians? And aren't Christians always saying there is no good in people? So how can people who are no good have rights? (There, I'm being facetious; the Gospel clearly shows we are born in the life and light of Jesus, not in the death march of damnation at birth.)

Dragging God into our politics creates a substitute god in our image, which is what the Antichrist will be. Get God out of politics and watch how the real Holy Spirit begins to move.

Edward Karlson

Oceanside

No answer? Try being creative

On Feb. 15, I asked Rick Kellogg to explain the apparent contradiction between the creation accounts in Genesis 1 (order of creation: sea creatures and fowl; land animals; man and woman) and Genesis 2 (man; land animals and fowl; woman). Kellogg's Feb. 22 non-answer was: "Why do evolutionists find it necessary to trash the Bible in order to support their theory? You'd think they'd have something better to show us by now." This from a person who has "religiously" submitted a diatribe against evolution every two weeks for as far back as I've been reading the Faith & Values Letters (about three years).

Kellogg tries evasion, saying "As for any alleged contradictions between Genesis 1 and 2: That subject has been covered so well." But he didn't say where. Roman Catholics, among others, answer that the Bible is a spiritual guide, not a science text: Genesis 1-2 weren't meant to be taken literally. I understand that some religious denominations do take them literally. I'm awaiting an explanation from that position. I'm not challenging anyone's religious belief. I do think it's strange, though, that a religion would require someone to continually deride the belief of another.

John Terrell

Fallbrook

Our creation cannot be piecemeal

Each of us starts off as a tiny sphere no larger than a dot on this page. Within that microscopic ball there is over six feet of DNA coiled up. Inside that DNA is the entire extremely complicated code for what you will become: all your organs and all your features. It is the carrier of the inheritance code in living things. It is like a microscopic computer with a built-in memory.

DNA stores a fantastic number of "blueprints," and at the right time and place issues orders for distant parts of the body to build its cells and structures. Inside each cell in your body is a nucleus. Inside that nucleus are, among other complicated things, chromosomes. Inside the chromosomes are genes. The genes are attached to chromosomes like beads on a chain. Inside the genes is that complicated chemical structure we call DNA. Each gene has a thousand or more such DNA units within it. Inside each cell are tens of thousands of such genes, grouped into 23 pairs of chromosomes.

Evolution says this was piecemeal; one beneficial mutation saved at a time. "Ah, evolution's ignorance is bliss." Chuckle away, Mr. Webster (Faith & Values Letters, Feb. 15)!

Irvin Forbing

Escondido

Salvation without good works?

Ronald Hutchison (Faith & Values Letters, March 7) criticizes the "pastor of a liberal church" who "says that true salvation is by building communities of justice with peace." Hutchison claims he has "read the Bible through 16 times" and has never come across anything like that. Ron should go back to the Bible, and try to stay awake when he gets to the Gospel of Matthew. I understand it comes after that long Old Testament thing, and the ol' eyelids might get heavy, but Jesus explicitly states in Matthew 25:31-46 (the only passage in the entire Bible in which Jesus himself actually describes the final judgment, and his final general discourse before the Last Supper) that those who care for "the least of these" will be saved and those who do not won't be. Not a word about belief or faith. Period. End of story. Chapter and verse.

Hutchison concludes with: "There's no salvation in good works and being good." Unlike me, Hutchison does not cite chapter and verse, but if he did, it would just be another Bible contradiction opposing what Jesus specifically taught.

Davis D. Danizier

Oceanside

God designed evolution

I will let the God-fearing creationists and God-doubting evolutionists continue their argument without interruption. For the record, I am a Roman Catholic who believes God designed evolution. I would like to address the misguided hubris of those who "worship" the elements â€"â€" Earth, conscience and self. To do so worships the creation, rather than the creator. In short, we admire the painting â€"â€" but praise the artist.

Alexandra Cloney

Encinitas

A church for all

Would you like to feel as though you have come home when you walk into a room? Would you like to feel that you belong? Our church has a wonderful family atmosphere, which people say they notice when they come through our door. We believe in oneness (Jehovah, God, Allah and the Native American Great Spirit, etc., are all one), and everyone is welcome. You don't have to change your religion to join us. We only augment it.

We have had classes on "The Secret," "Abraham," "Miracles and Conversations With God," and new classes continue to be given. We also have a bookstore. Our church is called the Creative Center for Spiritual Living (a Church of Religious Science), located at 1330 E. Valley Parkway, Suite G, at Harding, next to the China Bistro, Escondido, CA 92027. Please join us at 10 a.m. Sunday to hear the wonderful messages delivered by our ministers, the Rev. Drs. Audrey and Les Turner. They will remind you that you are one with God.

This church has given me more self-confidence and changed my life for the better.

Doris Drake

Escondido

All religions should adhere to human rights

How refreshing to read a message like that of Imam Yahya Hendi, that embraces people of all religions and atheists, and teaches interreligious tolerance, justice and equality ("American Muslim leader travels the world preaching religious tolerance," March 7).

One step further in the right direction would be for people of all nations to recognize that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights promotes values to which all religions should adhere, providing a broader spectrum of values than, say, the Ten Commandments or the Sermon on the Mount, while providing for each individual's right, irrespective of their gender or race, to choose their personal religion or none.

All Americans should embody the UDHR into their respective beliefs and urge their acceptance worldwide, before puritanical or religious extremists succeed in forcing their values upon us. We are seeing Islamists seeking global acceptance of Shariah law for Muslims, irrespective of where they live, and nations of the Organization of Islamic Conference even wishing to superimpose their values on the UDHR.

Cy Chadley

Escondido

Closed minds can't be changed

It is so tiring to see people chastising each other because some believe in creation and others believe in evolution. None of you can change another person's mind. As long as it hurts no one, everyone is entitled to believe as they wish.

So, for all of you who constantly write every week to this column to complain about the other side of the coin, give it up and go live a happy life. The bumper sticker on my car says it all: "If only closed minds came with closed mouths."

Shari Land

Celtic/Wiccan minister

Escondido