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godlessness != goodnessless
Jan. 30th, 2006 11:34 pmDear Milwaukee Journal Sentinel,
On January 29th, you published an opinion column by Dale Reich, about the incongruity of the beliefs of the nonreligious. I believe Mr. Reich is misguided in his beliefs about the "non-believers."
He started out with a complaint that seems to me to be valid, that many people who ridicule him for his illogical beliefs have illogical beliefs of their own. The rest of his column, however, is based on the faulty logic that "In a non-believer's world, self is all that matters." There are many atheists who feel that treating each other with respect is necessary for an orderly and kind society. Or to put it differently, "ye reap what ye sow."
Which brings us to my next point. God is not the basis for good and evil. Christianity is only a framework for bringing the concept to the people. I believe that we should treat our fellow humans with respect and kindness. I don't do this because God ordered it, I don't do it because I'll suffer in an afterlife if I don't, I do it because I believe I deserve to be treated this way, and therefore everyone else does too.
I wish Mr. Reich would make a better effort to understand the beliefs of others. He might then be able to sleep with a greater peace of mind than he does now.
( the column )
On January 29th, you published an opinion column by Dale Reich, about the incongruity of the beliefs of the nonreligious. I believe Mr. Reich is misguided in his beliefs about the "non-believers."
He started out with a complaint that seems to me to be valid, that many people who ridicule him for his illogical beliefs have illogical beliefs of their own. The rest of his column, however, is based on the faulty logic that "In a non-believer's world, self is all that matters." There are many atheists who feel that treating each other with respect is necessary for an orderly and kind society. Or to put it differently, "ye reap what ye sow."
Which brings us to my next point. God is not the basis for good and evil. Christianity is only a framework for bringing the concept to the people. I believe that we should treat our fellow humans with respect and kindness. I don't do this because God ordered it, I don't do it because I'll suffer in an afterlife if I don't, I do it because I believe I deserve to be treated this way, and therefore everyone else does too.
I wish Mr. Reich would make a better effort to understand the beliefs of others. He might then be able to sleep with a greater peace of mind than he does now.
( the column )
