OK, after all of this senseless bickering, I have to say that enough is enough! Religion is about the salvation of the soul, not a playground game of “I’m right, you’re wrong!” When people use religion in the latter sense, it’s no wonder the children of Israel are walking into school with bombs tucked away in their backpacks! Before I continue with the rest of this discussion, I’d like to say that I’m not going to quote the Bible or any other religious document. Why would I do that since most faiths depend on them? Well, like any other book, paper or record, it’s all subject to interpretation. I’ve seen events in the Bible interpreted so many ways, it’s almost unbelievable (there’s even a theory that all the events in the Bible were caused by aliens). Instead, I’d like to inject a little of what we call “common sense” into the discussion. For the record, I am a Christian, but also for the record, not everyone else is. What people like Mr. Merrick have been taught is that there is one single truth to the universe. However, there are people on the other side of the world or even on the other side of the block who have been taught that truth is a total lie. This is where the conflict brews. Who is right and how does the side that believes they’re right go about convincing the other side that they’re wrong? Most people resort to either violence or other forceful tactics to get their point across. To me, it is just plain wrong. The key to all of this is understanding. In the course of my life, I’ve constantly looked outside myself for more enlightenment, and on these adventures, I’ve come across many atheists. Like every other stereotype, they’re not all scientists who are angry at the world’s religions for not having any logic whatsoever. They’re real people with real hearts and real passions. What caused them to “go astray” as some religious people say? Well, believe it or not, it had more to do with the people who worshiped religion than the Deity itself. They saw members of religious factions have affairs, drink heavily and abuse their children, and looked somewhere else. Mother Teresa is celebrated as a good samaritan to the entire world. Do you think she got that way by going to India and saying, “Well, all right, I’ll help you even though you’re all going to Hell?” Of course not. She helped the people who needed it no matter where they were from or what they believed and never tried to shove propaganda down their throat. If you believe you are a child of a selfless and caring God, act that way! Forcing the issue will only cause certain people to reinforce their belief that religion is a detestable establishment of selfishness and self-righteousness. There, that’s my opinion, and I won’t condemn a person for having another. Joe Straatmann

Freshman

Pre-Journalism and mass communication