New letter{s} to editor....{July 21/05} and a personal note...{Christian fundamentalists persecution complex}

So,the other day someone had a letter they wrote to the editor of the "Brandon Sun" newspaper complaining about how Christians were under attack lately in Brandons paper and the city, and that we should return to teaching children the Lords prayer,etc,etc....as well they were offended by a teacher in a nearby city{Winkler,Manitoba} whom wants their public schools to get w/the times and quit propogandizing the Christian faith before all others in the schools{this teacher by the way happens to themselves be a Christian}.

So, I emailed a response, and it was published in todays paper{July 21/05; "Brandon Sun"}.
Here it is:


"CHRISTIANS NOT UNDER ATTACK, FUNDAMENTALISM IS."
In response to the letter from the Fouillards{July 20}, Christians are'nt under attack!
Myself and others dooing this alleged "attacking" have little to no issues with reasonable moderate/liberal Christians and Christianity. It is fundamentalism we are attacking and the fact that it seeks unfair influence over the political and social moral spheres and takes advantage of the needy,ignorant, and uninformed.
That and the favoritism our mayor has been showing to evangelical fundamentalists and to monotheists, as well as his prejudice towards those religions/philosophies he thinks are "against the grain" or "anti-religious"{when in reality it is the fundamentalist Christians who are anti-religious against any belief or unbelief that is not theirs.}.
That prayer group meeting in our gov't offices, for example, used the offices to pray against gays and gay marriage. Many gays are Christians{liberals and moderates mainly}. They are beeing told by fundamentalists seeking to subvert secular law that they don't deserve equality under the Charter because they think thier God has a special pet peeve against homosexuality.
Now, had this group been praying for racial segregation in these offices, would we be so tolerant and sympathetic to them?No!
Like the fundamentalist Islamic faith- which too easily breeeds extremism,oppression,intolerance,prejudice,irrational and unneeded psychollogical fear,guilt neuroses and dangerous mindsets against the rest of the world and it's viewpoints-this is dangerous!
We are defending the world against the attacks and false prejudiced information of these evangelical/fundamentalist Christians and their version of their faith.
It is not Christianity/Christians in general we are attacking. It is fundamentalism and it's unsafe excess influence. Of course they assume that only orthodox/fundamentalist/evangelical Christianity is the true version of this faith and that this faith is the only truly moral/good religion.
Go ahead and say the lords Prayer- no one is saying you can't. Just don't try to enforce it in our schools
and political landscapes. the way you phrased itseems to be a wish to see the Lords prayer become common in such spheres again.
Don't assume that saying the lords prayer is better than people who say other prayers to other gods/goddesses or who don't pray at all.
Plenty of atheists,agnostics,deists and other faithless freethinkers don't pray and don't teach their children too, yet they live examplary lives and raise children who also do.
By the way, the Winkler situation is a concern of a fellow Christian who just believes that all religions and non-religions should be treated equally and that public schools should not be playing favourites with one particular faith or one intrpretation of it. That teacher does their religion a service with this battle, kudos to him.
I repeat, it is not Christians in general beeing attacked, it is fundamentalism as it lives and exists to attack everyone and everything else.
This is merely self-defense.
Peace to you

Bill Baker
Brandon.

END OF LETTER.


And here is another letter from another reader that is also a response to that couples letter.

MAYOR MUST REPRESENT ALL PEOPLE, WITHOUR PREJUDICE.
I would like to take a minute to respond to the Christians under attack letter to the editor{July 20} and others who have no problem with city hall as a prayer centre.
First of all, anyone holding any elected position has neither the right,legally or ethically, to use public space to endorse anyones beliefs.
Secondly, to use that office to officially ask for monies is also unethical. It may be fine for those who believe in God to see his actions as well-intended, but suppose he were Muslim,Hindi,jewish,or any other belief. Would you then hold the Mayor im such high regard?
The problem is that an elected official is given his appointment to represent all the people without prejudice.
What if I wanted to hold a social in his worships office to pay for my grandfathers hip surgery? Is this OK? What if someone wanted to sacrifice a goat as people in the Santarea religion to help your cause? Can they use the Mayors office too?
I suggest to you that there are far superior ways to help society than to pray for someone or something. The first of those things is to protect our democratic rights from those who seek to infringe on them.

Derrick Campbell
Brandon


END OF LETTER.


Here's the deal folks. when I first invaded the prayer meeting in the Mayors office last month and there was about a week of public outcry from the Brandon Sun paper and some citizens in the Brandon Sun, it later died down. Though I continued my personal crusade behi ind the scenes; attending bethel church to silently but in full view protest all this crap they and the Mayor were dooing, I also had been protestign alone outside city hall with a sign-though eventually for the last few weeks I had been going to their prayer meetings in the City hall and protesting there{including verbally and loudly}, last time I went about a week and a half ago the prayer group told me to leave, I said that they'd have to get someone else[the authorities or something] to make me, cause I was staying,. A coupe of themleft the room and made a phone call or two then returned and they held their meeting, as I verbally protested one of them allmost throttled me{so much for the love of god/jesus eh? LoL!!!}. I left early as I had an appointment elsewhere. I few days later the cops visited me at my home and told me that if I went back there I'd be arrested! LoL!!! [so I have'nt returned].
I though the issue was fading away in the city, but apparently I really woke a sleeping giant up because a few days ago the Brandon Sun publisher did a article on how the Mayor recently solicited donations from local businessess for Calvary Temple church's youth "glimpse" program[to sent youth on a mexican missionary trip} and rebuked him for that and many of the other favours he's been dooing for localevangelical groups. Then a day or two later more letters-including this one whining of christiasn beeing persecutedand then mine and this other guys.

I've started a culture war over religion here in Brandon, I could'ne be more beeming w/pride and sense of accomplishment!

Hail reason.

In Reason:
The very irreverand Bill Baker