Youth learn on holidays
Myself, my daughter and 4-year-old grandson, Zeke Lewis, went to the National Cemetery in Chattanooga, Tenn.
My father, Robert L. Chamberlain, is buried there. Zeke had never been there, so we put flowers on my dad’s grave.
My 4-year-old asked, “Who is that?”
I answered, “Your grandfather.” So he took all of his little men, lined them up on top of my dad’s tombstone and said, “That’s my granddaddy.”
We should honor all our fallen soldiers – especially your father and grandfather.
Anne C. Rose, Murphy
Arm citizens or government?
Which is the better scenario – an armed citizenry or an unarmed citizenry?
Comparing excessive gun ownership to excessive gun control, one finds it is not only individuals that can commit a gun homicide. Governments can and do.
Looking back at the 20th century, there are some interesting statistics in the gun debate that have been either overlooked or just not brought forth. Basing this debate on gun homicide rates between the United States and Europe, which has very strict gun controls, the United States would have had 3.7 times the number of gun homicides compared to Europe. If one looks at 1900 to 2000 and estimates the average U.S. population to be 220 million, there would have been 743,000 more gun homicides in this country over and above Europe’s during the same time.
A study by professor R.J. Rummel, University of Hawaii, showed governments have committed many more homicides than individuals. He terms these murders “democides,” which denotes all killings by governments that are not military action/wars.
European governments killed 87.1 million of their citizens in the 20th century by first disarming the population. The data shows a troubling history of governments murdering their citizens once disarming them: Germany, 20.9 million 1933 – 1945; China, more than 87 million between 1949 – 1987; USSR, 61.9 million during the years 1917-87.
There are numerous other examples of governments killing their citizens after disarming them. This adds 45 million citizens to the numbers for a total of 214.8 million.
Americans should not think this cannot happen, as history shows governments worked steadily to disarm populations before committing democide.
As President Ronald Reagan said, “The gun is the great equalizer. It ensures that the people are the equal of their government whenever that government forgets that it is servant and not master of the governed.”
Don Reynolds, Murphy
Old pronouns still work best
A young person recently tried to explain to me that one’s sex is totally different than one’s gender, that one’s sex was the way you were born, but one’s gender is how you choose to identify yourself.
Last week at a doctor’s office, I had to fill out a lot of paperwork. One of the questions was what was my gender, which I had to indicate by circling either M or F. If the form had asked about my sex, the same M and F would have appeared.
There are children being butchered by having their breasts or penises cut off, or being given hormone therapy, in a vain attempt to change their sex/gender. It will not work. The DNA in every cell of their body will continue to scream “I am male” or “I am female” based on the body God gave them.
Sometimes this horror is done with the connivance of their deluded parents, and sometimes it’s done without their parents’ knowledge or permission, both scenarios being evil.
I pity the person who, being male, believes he is, or can be, a female. Likewise, I pity the person who, being female, believes she is, or can be, a male. That is a form of mental illness. I will try to love that person and wish the best for him or her, but I will not coddle him or her in his or her delusion.
This craziness that seems to be sweeping through our young people must be fought. I, for one, will not buy into this falsehood by using a made-up pronoun when talking to or about a person. Him, he, his, her, she and hers are still perfectly good words.
W. Arthur Hays Jr., Murphy
Read, don’t throw stones
In response to Lynne Stevens’ letter, “Churches can promote hate,” no doubt that is true. However, it has not been my experience. I am 76, have attended church regularly all my life – from military chapels in Germany to various denominations here in the United States – and I have never encountered the violent hate toward gay people she describes.
I have encountered children who disobey their parents, a good deal of gossip, sharp differences of opinion on petty issues that disrupt church unity and a host of other things Scripture calls out as wrong. Thankfully, however, the majority of my experiences have been beneficial to growth in my walk with the Lord and also watching others being exposed to loving examples of compassionate outreach – regardless of the church’s imperfections.
Not agreeing with someone’s lifestyle choice does not give Christians a license to hate them, and I do not believe that is the norm. Picking and choosing Scripture, as Lynne Stevens did, always leads away from truth.
Studying the Bible in its entirety will both give an accurate view of God, His commands, His authority and His love. May we do that before we “throw stones” at the church.
Lois Huff, Murphy
Almighty God wrote all rules
This is a rebuttal to Lynne Stevens’ letter (in the June 28 edition of the Cherokee Scout). Lynne wrote some churches are “promoting hatred” aimed at the queer community. Lynne stated “banning books and making it hard for the disfavored to vote is a flashing red light.”
It’s only acceptable when the leftists ban books, right? How are Christians making it hard for reprobates to vote? Got any evidence?
Lynne believes Christians are preoccupied with LGBT mini-mobs. How can we not be when reprobates have been given an entire month, annually, dedicated to shoving their sexual perversions down our throats?
Thirty days of parades, LGBT-XYZ flags, drag queens, displays of sadomasochisms, nudity and trans-kids. “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence,” transgenders dressed as Catholic nuns and pole dancing on a cross. Bud Light’s queer beer, Target’s children’s clothing and Tampax using a transgender woman to help sell tampons.
LGBT is pushing for acceptance and celebration of their wicked lifestyle. They’re especially striving to indoctrinate our children.
Jesus said it would be better for him to have a millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea than to cause children to sin.
Predictably, Lynne said Christians have hatred toward Jews, and “dark-skinned people” pulling out the anti-Semite and race cards.
Bible-believing Christians don’t hate the sexually perverse, they hate sexual perversions.
Leviticus 20:13: “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.”
Romans 1:32: “Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”
Christians didn’t write the commandments, God did. Therefore, I suggest taking up your grievances with the Almighty.
Mary Mason, Murphy