MAILBAG:

I noticed in recent days the removal of a lot of the mailboxes on 17th Street in Costa Mesa. This would appear to be the start of a U.S. Postal Service program I read about a few weeks ago, but I think it would be helpful to the community if the Daily Pilot could highlight this program, as it affects your subscribers, and alert them as to where they can find area mailboxes that are still available.

Leaving outgoing mail in your home mailbox is a no-no these days, and some of your subscribers may have transportation problems finding a new, distant mailbox.

Can you research this and tell us all about this program? We need a “heads up” here!

DAVID YOUNG

Newport Beach

No resentment among children of religion

I will not attempt to comment on Steve Smith’s column (“Religion good for kids,” Feb. 24) responded to by John Troy in the Forum on April 22 (“Columnist wrong about religion for kids”).

But I would like to answer Troy’s allegations.

If I use his type of logic, Troy would have us believe that Massachusetts and other northeastern states, being Democratic, are godless, therefore there are no religious beliefs to be found in those states. By that definition a Democrat does not believe in God. Because the area is not in the “Bible Belt,” does it mean these people do not believe in God? At last check, the area is strongly Catholic.

I am a member of the First Church of Christ, Scientist in Costa Mesa, and among other duties I teach Sunday school. One of the fundamental teachings of Christian Science is that God is Love (Love is capitalized because it is one of the synonyms given for God by Mary Baker Eddy).

I have had children of Buddhist and Catholic backgrounds besides those of Christian Scientist parents. All these children learn that basic concept — that God is Love. Listening to the children of other religious backgrounds, I hear no hate being expressed. I would have to assume they express the love their parents instill in them.

The Christian Science belief considers everyone a child of God and that they express his (God’s) qualities, regardless of others’ religious or non-beliefs.

PAUL HILL

Costa Mesa