Sounding Board -- Jane Altman-Dwan
What is this? Do we need to establish a new phobia? Let’s call it
Christobia; that way we can pinpoint a paranoia with one simple swipe of
a pen. Larry Platt has it, so does Pat Ormsbee (Mailbag, July 2), along
with a number of other observers.
It always amazes me how afraid some folks are about something they
never got to know. There’s homophobes, white supremacists, hillbillies
against townies, even group factions with the groups that are afraid of
each other: Jews, Christians, Mormons, Buddhists, Muslims (you get the
picture).
Today’s current subject is atheists/agnostics against Christians.
Evolution theory vs. Intelligent Design theory. Teaching abstinence or
not to teach abstinence. Include in this argument any other subject that
is approached from a countering viewpoint and supported by a church. Any
Christian church.
A number of people have written in to refute the foundation and
intelligence of the Intelligent Design theories. Not one of these
complainers has ever mentioned even once that they have actually studied
the theories in question and are basing their opinion on actual
intelligent facts.
Ironically, you know what this reminds me of? A story told to our
church by two missionaries who are just back from the Middle East (exact
location is withheld to protect them).
You know what the Muslims are saying about the Sept. 11 event? Their
propaganda is telling them that the Jews committed the Sept. 11 acts and
that they are blaming it on the Muslims, the missionaries said. Even
Muslims who were educated in our own Ivy League schools are buying that
story hook, line and sinker, they said.
Is someone teaching these letter writers unsubstantiated facts about
the science of Intelligent Design? Perhaps it’s time everyone goes to the
Creation Research Institute to settle the matter. It is located in the
San Diego area and has a decent Web site with quick response to
questions.
As for abstinence, did you know that the Consortium of State
Physicians Resource Councils released a report showing that the cause of
the overall teen birthrate decline in the 1990s is not increased
contraceptive use, but a trend toward sexual abstinence?
The report also shows that among those teens who are sexually-active,
the nonmarital birthrate has risen dramatically. The consortium that
prepared this report is an association of more than 2,000 health
professionals who are dedicated to bringing accurate medical data to
public health officials and public policy makers.
Isn’t the power of knowledge great?
* JANE ALTMAN-DWAN is a Newport Beach resident.
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