Editor:
Re: PAN poll – “Is teaching acceptance of more than two ‘gender identities’ akin to child abuse” – April 26 to May 3.
I am truly disheartened to see some of the commentary and even the actual online question of the week posed to our community regarding SOGI and the Surrey School District.
A long time ago, a kind and caring man I knew mentioned “God doesn’t make junk,” in reference to people who are gay.
I’ve remembered those words for more than 25 years.
In other words, it is beautiful to know that God/nature/the universe loves us all and that not one of us is a mistake.
I wonder how many people who are unwilling to be open-minded on this issue know about all of the sweet little babies who are born with ‘ambiguous genitalia’ or ‘intersex’?
Answer: Approximately 1.7 per cent of babies. Those babies grow up to be human beings.
Hmmm, are they not entitled to be loved and to love another human being? Hmmm, who are people with ambiguous genitalia allowed to love?
My point is that as biology itself proves, human life and sexuality itself is not clearcut all of the time.
People are just people.
Let’s stop with all of the judgments, and stop worrying about words, such as boy, girl, gay, straight, trans, black, brown, white, short, tall, etc., and start talking about people, neighbours, kindness and love.
Out with hate, bigotry, and prejudice, and in with love, care, understanding, kindness and more love.
Catherine Sauter, White Rock
• • •
Re: Evolving education, May 11 letters.
Although I know naught about accurately qualifying and quantifying the extent to which Christianity has “changed the world for the better,” I do know that most Christian denominations practise a view of Christ that’s different than much of his teachings.
Also, I believe that Christ’s true nature practised en masse by his followers over the many centuries since his crucifixion would indeed have notably improved human existence.
Over the last three decades, I’ve listened to many, what I term as, institution Christians interpret various Biblical passages, in both literal and figurative contexts, in an attempt to reconcile the conspicuously contradictory pacifist practices of Jesus with that of the fiercely angry, vengeful and even jealous nature of God the Father; the latter, of course, being widely believed to require the shedding of Jesus’ sin-free blood—in place of that of anything-but-innocent Man—as atonement for His consistent disdain for any sin whatsoever.
I sometimes contemplate whether our own individual instinctive need for retribution or ‘justice’ – regardless of Christ and great spiritual leaders having emphasized unconditional forgiveness – may be intrinsically linked to the same unfortunate morally flawed aspect of humankind that enables the most horrible acts of violent cruelty to readily occur on this planet.
In defense of Christianity, the letter-writer concedes, “admittedly its followers have not always lived up to its teachings”.
Yes, without doubt.
It also leaves me wondering how many potential genuine Jesus Christians have felt repelled from the faith altogether due to the vocal angry-condemnation brand?
Frank Sterle, Jr., White Rock