Letters to the Editor for Sunday, December 6, 2009

Flash: Atheists care about people, too
Cal Thomas’ over-the-top tantrum against an “humanistic, atheistic world view” (Nov. 25) was received by members of Lynchburg Area Secular Humanists with guffaws.

The idea of a few humanistic/atheistic organizations, a million or so strong, overwhelming and dominating all of the conservative religious institutions is utterly comical. Fat chance! Tell me, how many radio stations are there in the Atheist Broadcasting Network? So which religious view is really dominating American politics?

Thomas doesn’t seem to realize that both humanists and religious people share many values, among them, belief in the inherent worth and dignity of every person. Thus on many occasions, humanists and atheists join with religious people in a struggle against poverty, injustice, ignorance, disease and hunger.

Here in Lynchburg, the Gateway program for homeless men is supported by several local churches and community organizations including a church with a strong humanistic/atheistic contingent. The Gateway program is one manifestation of a widespread religious humanism.

Because I value human life, I support the goal of providing affordable health for all Americans. Thomas’ attempt to link the pending health care legislation to the Nazi Holocaust is both pathetic and shameful. It is a smokescreen that obscures the real issues by confusing the uninformed. It is unworthy of a serious journalist.
CHRISTOPHER BILLINGS
Lynchburg

Evolution is bunk
Once again our community is subjected to gross misstatements of reality as is if they were objective facts.

The Nov. 30 letter criticizing Sarah Palin and the GOP reproduced one of the biggest fallacies of our time. I quote, “… overwhelming evidence that evolution is the clear process by which all living things developed on Earth …” and “There is no debate on this issue in the scientific community.”

Despite this common and erroneous assertion, there is great debate about the origin of life. Top ranked Ph.D.’s regularly write peer-reviewed articles questioning the validity of the entire evolutionary world view.

For example, the science of genetics has unequivocally revealed that although DNA information may be lost or garbled, it may never be added to. Thus, the entire basis of evolution — one species evolving into another by beneficial, accidental and random mutation — is demonstrably false. Mutations are sterile; they do not pass on the succeeding generations. Mutations are not beneficial, they are universally harmful or at best benign. (For example, cancer is a result of DNA mutation.)

Facts are observable, measureable, and repeatable. Thus, no theory on origins be it evolution or Intelligent Design can ever be considered a scientific fact. No act of creation, design or evolution of a new species has ever been observed by man. Thus, it can neither be measured nor repeated. The theories of biblical creation, Intelligent Design and atheistic evolution have equal claim to time in our public school science classes.

One last thought about all species evolving through random mutation: Design is by definition not random. Anything that displays a definable pattern did not result randomly or accidentally. How can evolution explain away the universal pattern of two sexes per species? No examples of one gender, three-, four-, five- or six-gendered species. According to evolution, a single-cell amoeba accidentally mutated into a male, another accidentally mutated into a female. They met, mated and created a new race of two-gendered beings. I ask you — what are the random odds of these astronomically unlikely events occurring and working at exactly the same time and place — literally a drop of water? It takes more than religious faith to believe in such nonsense!

I refer interested parties to Ben Stein’s excellent video “Expelled,” as well as the book “Slaughter of The Dissidents” by Jerry Bergman.
ROBERT BOULDIN
Concord