Mailbag

‘Gettin’ on board the gay marriage train’

April 20 The overused chant that gay marriage is a civil rights issue is a straw man argument. It is all about societal acceptance. If same-sex is legalized, it sets a precedent that opens the door for an “everything goes” definition of marriage. We, as a society, don’t want to go down that road. —Frank Nolton, Woodbridge, Calif.

Many people seem eager to suppress the truth that you can’t just make marriage mean whatever you want. —Stephen D. Bennett, Encinitas, Calif.

It is a comfort to have a voice like WORLD holding fast to a biblical worldview of homosexuality while so many in the secular and Christian worlds are shifting their convictions. —Greg Carlson, Allegan, Mich.

‘In all the noise, sounds of silence’

April 20 Thank you for your candid look at this complex situation. One hardly knows how to speak about homosexual marriage anymore, and your description of the thought processes of WORLD reporters is helpful. —Sue Johnson, Spartanburg, S.C.

I have taught my congregation a new Shorter Catechism question that summarizes the Westminster Confession’s chapter on marriage: “Q.10a. What is marriage? A. Marriage is a covenant of lifelong fidelity between a man and a woman to live together as one flesh, for their mutual benefit, and for the bearing of children.” As long as we associate marriage only with love and affection, we will continue to lose the argument on gay marriage. —Bill Edgar, Drexel Hill, Pa.

This was one of the best Christian “position statements” on the issue I’ve read; it’s brief and biblically sound. We believers must not shy away from stating boldly the biblical position in love, and being willing if necessary to suffer for it. —Greg Johnson, Newark, Del.

Evangelicals’ credibility on this issue is very low. Why are so many evangelical families so small, and so many couples intentionally childless? As John R. Rice wrote in 1946, “Those who marry owe a duty to God, a duty to civilization, and duty to their mate and to themselves to bring children into this world and to rear them for God.” —Monty Ledford, Aberdeen, Idaho

‘Countercultural warriors’

April 20 I am part of the millennial generation and was glad to see my brave peers defending marriage. Blazing a trail is a messy and imperfect business, filled with hazards, but there won’t ever be a trail unless someone does it. —Danielle Eldred, Yamato-shi, Japan

‘Serious times’

April 20 I would much rather die in combat, with my boots on, than be worked to death in a concentration camp. Communist “fourth regime” camps made Jews and Gentiles fund their own deaths through work, as the Nazi camp slogan “Arbeit Macht Frei” (“Labor Makes You Free”) put it. Friends who were inmates in Soviet camps told me how Nazi architects, engineers, and photographers came and recorded the smallest details so the Nazis could duplicate the camps in their territory. —Pete Malone, St. Charles, Ill.

This column was so meaningful. I was 17 years old when that attack began, and the next year I was in the German woods moving south all winter long. I saw the stacks of dead bodies. —Oscar Whitescarver, Gastonia, N.C.

‘Default position’

April 20 What a great article on the foolishness of our pursuit of college degrees. What is the root of the delusion that I should be able to go to a college I cannot afford, regardless of the consequences? Parents are failing to train their children to govern their desires and choices. —David Cullum, Janesville, Wis.

‘Heather has two mommies’

April 20 Since combining mitochondria and chromosomes from different eggs prior to fertilization occurs in vitro with a very low probability of success, the process would involve many eggs resulting in many embryos. Most of these would die. Since the U.K.’s Human Fertilisation and Embryo Authority began keeping records, on average 33 embryos have been created—and killed—for every one baby born following IVF. The loss of innocent life associated with IVF rivals that due to abortion. —Daryl Sas, Beaver Falls, Pa.

‘Braggin’ on their King’

April 20 Thank you for introducing your readers to Trip and Andy. At 56 I don’t quite get rap music but I have been looking for an alternative to the ugly side of rap to give to our teens. After listening to these two artists, all I can say is “Wow!” —Kristofer Sandlund, Zanesville, Ohio

‘Jungle journalism’

April 20 Tucker Carlson’s venture is an encouragement. It takes courage to stand against the media flow. —E. Jackson, Durham, N.C.

‘Silent testimony in a region aflame’

April 20 Thank you for your coverage in the magazine and on your website of Saeed Abedini’s unjust prison sentence in Iran. Every bit of media coverage helps return him home. —Krissy Fulton, Boise, Idaho

‘R-rated libraries’

April 6 I agree with this feature story. When I realized early in my career as a public librarian how left-wing the American Library Association is, I ended my membership in favor of the Pennsylvania Library Association, which takes no political positions. I was also frustrated at the popularity of the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy. All sorts of people contribute by taxes and donations to the library, so we bought a set, but I’ve been very surprised that many women who confess to be Christians were on the long waiting list. —Dan LaRue, Lebanon, Pa.

Librarians might not have the personal power to withhold a book from someone because of “origin, age, background, or views.” But if libraries adopted a rating system, children would know what books are acceptable, parents would have an idea of their content, and librarians would have a basis for withholding books. —Joy Nave, Dallas, Pa.

‘Don’t waste your stink bugs’

April 6 The woman who showed us our flat here in Zurich spoke only limited English. She admitted that one kind of bug got in sometimes but struggled to describe it. Finally she just held her nose and made a face. I said, “Oh, a stink bug!” She burst out laughing: “Yes! Stink bug! A good English word!” The Swiss are known for being reserved with foreigners but we bonded over stink bugs. —Julia Sharma, Zurich, Switzerland

Corrections

Boston Marathon runners included representatives of Run for the Fallen Maine, a group that honors all military members killed since 9/11 (“Heartbreak hill,” May 4, p. 38).

Branch Rickey was the general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers when he signed Jackie Robinson in 1946 (“Historic number,” April 20, p. 23).

Darius the Mede threw Daniel into the lion’s den (“Our daily bread,” April 6, p. 83).

WORLD Around the World

Santa Clara, Cuba Submitted by Douglas Marine

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