MAILBAG:Nonbelievers’ beliefs should be respected

Rabbi Marc Rubenstein states that “people who are atheists suffer from a lack of intelligence.” (“Why the uptick in atheism?” In Theory, June 2). Am I to understand that he is calling atheists stupid? Raised in a Jewish household and [strongly] encouraged to partake in a three-year preparatory program for my Bar Mitzvah, I completed that rite of passage. Organized religion never felt right to me, and I often felt [and feel] that religions were actually “traditions.”

After my Bar Mitzvah, I immediately became a devout atheist. This choice was not made by virtue of a lack of intelligence; it was a clear rebellion to organized, dogmatic “spirituality” (i.e., religion) coupled with the subjective [and narrow] views of a 13-year-old. Today, I can make a strong case against atheism — that is, the idea that “God does not exist.” How can anybody prove a negative such as this?

I am now convinced that we are all, at least during some periods, agnostics — that is, “people who question the existence of God.” Even the most devout religionists have their “agnostic breaks,” whether or not they admit to them.

I am an agnostic; I do not know whether or what type of God exists. None of us will be able to answer this question with certainty while we exist within this spiritual plane.

So, I would ask people of all beliefs to treat other beliefs — or lack of beliefs — with the same respect with which they would care to have their beliefs treated. In Theory contributor Jerry Parks and Sarah Halverson “Pluralism embraces religious differences,” Spiritual Guidance, June 2) were the two authors with which I most closely identified. Coincidentally, they expressed the most open-minded views without the kind of arrogant “absolutism” that often drives people away from certain belief systems.

JAY B. LITVAK

Sounding off about Sounding Off

I am surprised that you would publish Russ Niewiarowski’s sermon (“Embracing all faiths won’t bring peace,” Sounding Off, May 29) as a response to Sayed Moustafa Al-Qazwini’s commentary (“Respect, peace must be spiritual priorities,” Community Commentary, May 25). That cast a bad light on the writer as well as on the Pilot for having published it.

BETTS HARLEY

The real deal with immigration reform

Do you want to know what is really up with the immigration issue? There is so little real support for true immigration reform from the Bush administration and many in Congress because of their strong support of the SPP (Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America) activities that are promoting a “North American Union.” This behind-the-scenes project will ruin this country.

The Bush administration has facilitated the creation of this new North American “entity” through an initiative known as the Security and Prosperity Partnership, based on a memorandum signed by President Bush and the leaders of Canada and Mexico in March 2005. It is described as “a trilateral effort to increase security and enhance prosperity among the United States, Canada and Mexico through greater cooperation and information sharing,” but its “working groups” have been operating in secret and many of the members are not even known.

This concept is predicated on creating a North American Community made up of Canada, United States and Mexico. It foresees the creation of a single legal system as well as a comprehensive merging of the economies, social and political systems of the three countries.

The proposed North American Court of Justice (with authority to overrule the U.S. Supreme Court), North America Trade Tribunal and a North American Social Charter (addressing Human Rights) are included in this plan.

The social charter could call for all Americans to “enjoy” the same “human rights” as gay marriage, abortion, euthanasia and other social issues that are now in the minority in the U.S.

The Trade Tribunal includes the North American Free Trade Agreement, which calls for open borders between the three countries for agricultural, commercial and manufacturing traffic. Plans to expand NAFTA to include intellectual property, taxation and regulations are included in the plan. True open borders between the three countries are a given.

One of the “benefits” of this plan is a $200 billion North American Investment Fund to pull Mexico out of poverty. Forty-percent of this would be funded by the U.S.

Also under discussion is the creation of a North American Parliament, which would supersede our Congress and usurp the sovereignty of our country.

In Europe, the European Parliament has taken a left-wing direction regarding many social issues.

Some of the people behind this program are the same people that illegally (some say) created NAFTA under the Clinton administration and engineered the giveaway of the Panama Canal under the Carter administration.

BILL JOHNSON