Letters
Sydney Morning Herald
Saturday December 26, 2009
Getting sceptic story straight What a strange editorial ("The Christmas call to fulfilment", December 24). After providing a measured defence of the underlying message of the factually flawed birth narratives of Matthew and Luke, it asserts that "God chose to become incarnate in human affairs", "what we see is not all there is or can be" and "there is a veil covering the unseen world which [no one] could tear apart".When believers argue that we need to behave in accordance with facts and precepts that cannot be perceived by the limited abilities that God imbued us with - that lie on the other side of the veil covering the unseen world - they are surely admitting that the Almighty is so unfair (or illogical) as to expect us to accept things which, as a result of the way He designed us, we are unable to know about, let alone verify.And when they assert that God chose to become incarnate in human affairs, even though this is part of the knowledge that lies on the other side of the veil, they no longer claim only to know that there is unknowable stuff in the unseen world; they even claim to know what it is. As your editorial did.Glen Coulton Marmong PointIt serves John Dickson and the message of Christianity poorly to characterise people who choose not to invest unquestioning faith in the story of Christmas as "dogmatic sceptics" ("Despite the sceptics, there is real truth in the story of Christmas", December 24).The only "real truth" in any story, even if it draws on some elements of history, is that it is a story. No more, no less.Christians are not exclusive in the ability to appreciate a story and its message, nor do they have more rights than others to interpret a story. Mr Dickson ought to apply some of the faith he has invested in the story of Christmas to his narrative with humanity.Robyn Dalziell Castle HillJohn Dickson laments the narrow-mindedness of non-believers thus: "If you hold that the laws of nature are the only things regulating the universe, then no amount of evidence could convince you that Mary conceived 'of the Holy Spirit'."This is a very odd thing to say. I would have thought that if you only believed in natural laws, then real evidence that Mary had a virgin birth would be very convincing.Agnostics like me are not clouded by belief in a rival religion such as Judaism or Islam. If there was evidence that Jesus had a miraculous birth, we would be the first to take it seriously. We are not cynics and mockers, as Mr Dickson thinks - all we want to see is the evidence.David Graham CamperdownElizabeth Farrelly's description of the three-headed monster of over-consumption - climate crisis, financial crisis and obesity crisis - is spot on ("Did Jesus make us fat and greedy?", December 24). But she mistakenly identifies the symptoms of the problem as the problem itself, and consequently blames the wrong person.Jesus is not the reason for the problems. He said he came so that we might have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10). But instead of the full life he offers, we have opted for a life full of things. And instead of a life lived for others, we have opted for a life lived for ourselves.That is why God gave us not just Christmas, but Easter.Claire Smith RosevilleIn your item about the Bethlehem Herald you do not give the text of the birth notice ("Stop the presses: the day Jesus appeared in the Birth Notices", December 24). The atheist author of this newspaper would surely not have had the gall to say "to Mary and Joseph".Barrie Smillie Duffy (ACT)Christmas already has the X factorPaul Ellercamp (Letters, December 24) is a tad naive in proposing to abbreviate Christmas to Xmas. Use of the latter goes back centuries. The X in Xmas is simply a use of the Greek letter "chi", which is the first letter in the Greek word for Christ. In any case, we still pronounce it Christmas. Sorry, you won't get Jesus out of Christmas that easily.Romeo Dinale Banks (ACT)I had a good chuckle at Paul Ellercamp's suggestion. X has been used as an abbreviation of Christ for hundreds of years, easily predating the word Xmas. And I am sure many would notice that the "mas" in Xmas is suspiciously similar to the word for a common Christian liturgy. Xmas is hardly the reflection of the secularisation Ellercamp is looking for.Nicholas Young NormanhurstNo, Paul Ellercamp, no!Nick Walker SpringwoodForest piece barks up wrong treeIt is a pity your headline writer did not distinguish between forestry and the forest industry ("You have to be cruel to be kind to red gum forest, says industry" December 21). Ron Wilson of the Institute of Foresters of Australia was speaking as a professional forester, whose principal concern is the wellbeing of the Murray River red gum forest, when he said overcrowded forests with insufficient water would result in tree deaths. He was not speaking on behalf of a sawmilling association or an industrial company.The red gum forests, and other state forests, have experienced past disturbances, including logging. Management, including regeneration, thinning and fire management, is essential to achieve the sustainable structures that make a healthy modern forest.Water shortages imposed on red gum forests by the regulation of river flows require management by thinning so that water use by trees balances the amount available. The availability of timber for industrial (human) use may be a byproduct of such management processes, but it is not the only goal.David Doley Indooroopilly (Qld)Ideals with a viewI love Blues Point Tower (Letters, December 24). It is a symbol of Australian egalitarian ideals. Where else in the world could you have a retro housing-commission-type block with the best harbour views in the world?Michael Stanbridge Bonnet BayRecognise real Holocaust saintsThere is no doubt that Pope Pius XII helped some Jews of Rome. But by only assisting some of the old established patrician families, he failed as the Pope for all Catholics (Letters, December 24). To say that he did not interfere in case it would make things even worse for Jews is a bad joke. How often would they have gassed the Jews in Auschwitz?What he could have done is to say in clear language that any Catholic involved in the killing or torture of any person due to racial grounds would be excommunicated. He knew what was happening in Germany from 1933, when he was living there, and he received reports about the concentration camps and the gas chambers. He did nothing except arrange for the Pacelli family's tailor and a minority of rich Roman Jews to enter and live in the Vatican.An uneducated Catholic maid and her daughter hid a Jewish woman in Budapest. They were declared 65 years later as "Righteous among the Nations", the highest honour Israel bestows. I know, for it was my mother and me they hid. They risked their lives. No sainthood for them.Steven Colman ChatswoodHoming in onhospitals unfairElizabeth Farrelly takes a cheap shot at NSW hospitals ("Did Jesus make us fat and greedy?", December 24).I was recently rushed to Royal North Shore hospital, where I underwent surgery and stayed for six days in the emergency ward and then a public ward. From the time the ambulance picked me up to the time I came home I had excellent care.My husband and I were impressed by the professionalism, attention to detail and the caring nature of the staff. I have nothing but praise for this organisation.Lyn Morehen Mosman
© 2009 Sydney Morning Herald