Letters to the Editor - 24th June 2008

Jun 24 2008 Liverpool Daily Post

How best to read the Bible

IN RESPONSE to the letter from CP Kelly (DP, Friday June 20), regarding Christianity, my comments are as follows.

Firstly, a Christian can read the Bible and say: “I believe that; I don’t believe that” because the reader needs to consider the genre. Is a particular book history, poetry or intended for teaching etc?

Secondly, time is a “slippery fish”. Jesus, appeared and disappeared at will after His resurrection, indicating that God is not constrained by space and time.

Finally, perhaps we should concentrate on Christ when discussing Christianity, and what do we know?

We know the authors of the four gospels of the canon, when they were written; which was very early e.g. Acts does not mention the destruction of the Temple in AD 70 and therefore must have been written before this event.

We know that frightened disciples later boldly announced the resurrection. We know that two of the sternest sceptics (Paul and James – the brother of Jesus) were completely transformed. We also know that along with James and Paul, most disciples suffered and died proclaiming their message.

There wasn’t any controversy at the time with enemy attestation stating that Jesus’s body had gone.

Added to this, there is non-Christian attestation that Jesus was crucified and that His followers claimed to have seen Him, and that many were martyred for their beliefs – and nobody will die for a lie!

Finally, no archeological find has ever contradicted a Bible reference.

Brian Jowett, Liverpool 9

Scriptures point

WHILST I disagree with the conclusion reached by Mr Kelly in his letter (DP, June 20) since my own experience is the complete opposite (I actually came to faith in Christ by reading the Bible fully), he makes an important point.

Christians should not pick and choose which Scriptures to believe and which to ignore or “re-interpret” in the light of modern “knowledge”.

Thus there should be no argument about who leads God’s people: the norm is men, but God sometimes chooses women – Deborah and Priscilla.

However, the Bible gives no model or justification for appointing (practising) homosexual leaders – nor any in heterosexual sin.

Mr Kelly should re-read the Bible more carefully, preferably without atheist blinkers: Jonah was not swallowed by a whale but a very large fish (a case was documented last century); Noah’s Ark was hardly “puny” – careful calculation of the dimensions given would reveal a length of at least 150 yards.

Finally, why is he more willing to believe in the existence of cities 6,000 years ago, than in the word of God, who was there, and who knows all things?

I would myself have quickly lost faith in his religion: his “god” was too small!

Mr I N Cowan, Aigburth

Answers exist

REGARDING the letter from your correspondent, C P Kelly, who finds it hard to believe the Bible.

I do not wish to attack or dismiss this person – so many of us have been there. But I’m afraid the letter contained numerous falsehoods e.g. being Christian means having to abide by all 613 Laws of the Old Testament, believe in a young earth, etc.

I strongly encourage the correspondent to persevere for the answers because I believe they exist and God rewards the diligent.

Why not get in touch with the excellent authors of “thoughts for the day”, or try me at: shazrob@gmail.com. I’ve no church to fill; I’m just too much of a rebel to be an atheist.

Sharon Roberts, L3

Purpose of stories

CP Kelly states: “The Bible is full of silly stories.”

I agree with this statement but with further reflection, I find that these stories lead me to a man who explains the purpose of these stories.

The intention is to bring us to love God and our neighbour, “The Golden Rule” (Matt 7:12).

We all know and love the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25). I think we should allow the writers of the Bible a little poetic licence if it encourages us to love our neighbour.

A J Leek, Liverpool

All is possible

WITH regards to CP Kelly’s letter. Matthew Ch. 19:26 reads: “Jesus looked at them and said: ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible’.”

I’m more inclined to agree with Jesus.

N Greenwood, Aigburth

Post Offices threat

CAN anybody explain the advantage, or indeed the difference, in using their local shops or Payzone outlets instead of the Post Office?

Is it competition that is meant to be the underlying reason, or are post offices simply charging too much for the service – if they do charge? I have supported the local post office as much as possible in recent years to fight their closure but feel as though it is a losing battle.

United Utilities appears to support the Government in its effort to close as many post offices as possible by notifying customers that as from July 1, free payment of water bills at the post office will no longer be an option.

As services continue to be eroded, it is obvious the use of post offices will continue to fall.

No doubt other companies, such as British Gas and even the council, will follow suit and as a result, the local post office will slip into obscurity.

How will supporters then be able to help in their fight to keep post offices open?

I could easily opt for a more convenient payment method but feel as though I am letting the post office down by doing so.

B Phythian, Aigburth

Save the sculptures

HAVING visited Berlin six times lately, I have been comparing the “Buddy Bears” that are used by the city of Berlin and sent all over the world to promote the city and used as fundraising for children’s charities, and our own Superlambananas.

The amount of interest that it has created for tourists and our own local people to have their picture taken with them and the smiles they have generated, has been extraordinary.

It would be a shame to raffle them off in 10 weeks’ time and waste this opportunity to showcase our city with these sculptures, as Berlin has done with their Bear.

Couldn’t our councillors keep these Superlambananas to give enjoyment to the people who live in and visit our city, and have a symbol that may be a lasting legacy for the regeneration and friendliness that we are so proud of. Let’s hope in the future we might have a new ambassador for our city, in the form of a “Superlambanana”.

Eric Moffat, via email

Super smiles

I WOULD just like to say how good it is to see all those Superlambananas all over the place.

Although the weather was bad on Saturday, I went out with my camera Superlambanana spotting, as did a lot of people! They certainly put a smile on people’s faces, as you do not know where you are going to spot one next.

Sandra Nairen, Gateacre

Night surgeries

REGARDING your story “City GPs ignore deal on evening surgeries” (DP, June 18).

Many Liverpool GPs and their teams would be prepared to work extended hours if there was suitable patient demand, provided that the contract for providing the service was reasonable.

Mrs Ellman should look at what her government has suggested, and then she would appreciate why GPs are not prepared to put their staff and themselves, many of them her constituents, at risk by working in isolation.

Requiring surgeries to keep their doors open, with only a skeleton staff, at night and late into the evening, in some parts of this city would be a recipe for disaster.

Dr Rob Barnett, Liverpool GPSecretary Liverpool Local Medical Committee

Bottled is natural

WITH regard to Ben Schofield’s article (“Lose your bottle in the boardroom, firms urged”, DP, June 20), we would like to point out that bottled water accounts for just 0.03% of the nation’s carbon footprint (source – Zenith International). In addition, the majority of water is sourced from UK producers.

In the past 15 years, the weight of PET bottles – all recyclable – has been reduced by 30% and recycling rates are growing by 40% a year.

By its very nature, bottled water is pure, safe and sustainable. Natural mineral and spring waters are not treated with chemicals. Natural mineral and spring waters are purified by nature and as a result have a natural taste that many people prefer.

Richard LamingBottled Water Information Office

Cancer centre

IT WAS great to hear the news that plans are being considered to create a world class cancer treatment centre in Liverpool.

This is long overdue and has been aired before – let’s hope that this time the proposal will become a reality. This is good news for cancer patients from this area, many of whom are already suffering from the debilitating effects that cancer brings, saving them from having to travel to Clatterbridge for treatment.

The appalling figures regarding cancer death rates in our area prove much more needs to be done.

Terry Kavanagh, L18

Equal pay budget

REGARDING equal pay and single status. If the Liberal Democrat administration is supposed to have been dealing with this matter so inadequately since 1998, one might have expected a responsible opposition to produce an alternative budget each year highlighting that alleged inadequacy and attempting to deal with such a pressing matter.

Cllr Paul CleinLiverpool City Council