Errata
On Church and State
I disagree with the Rev. Mark Worth’s letter (Bangor Daily News, Aug. 11-12) about the wall of separation between church and state. He states correctly that this idea of separation is not in the Constitution but he is wrong when he says "today’s" meaning of it is.

Originally, the meaning of the wall of separation of church and state was to protect the church from the state, not the state from the church. Atheists, secular humanists, and some liberal groups like the ACLU have been on a crusade to take God out of our culture and the public square.

The Founding Fathers did not create a secular government.
Aug 22, 2007 - 7:47:35 AM

Errata
Gambling is gambling
In at least two recent articles on the new gambling establishment in Bangor, your [ Bangor Daily News] writers have used the euphemism "gaming." No doubt the gambling interests (I would have said gambling industry, but that seems oxymoronic) prefer their euphemism to the more traditional term — gambling — since the latter more readily connotes the usual negative effects associated with this activity — urban decay, bankruptcy, mortgage foreclosures, divorce, homelessness, increased crime, etc.

I urge you to make it a practice to use the traditional term, gambling, reserving the euphemism for quotes from the owners and their agents and supporters.
Aug 20, 2007 - 6:57:34 AM

Errata
Gambling is an Insult to the Human Cause
A recent article in your [Portland Press Herald] paper once again brought home the idea that gambling is an insult to the human cause.

If my definition of "gambling" -- "a method used by the rich to fleece and bankrupt the poor" -- is of any merit, I feel that the state of Maine and the town of Scarborough are on the wrong course. Gambling is an insidious and cancerous disease that promotes poverty, grief and human misery.

Gambling will destroy Maine in the near future.

Aug 7, 2007 - 3:16:26 PM

Errata
Pagan's Rhetoric Is Nothing New
Lara Dionne in her August 1 [Kennebec Journal] letter essentially calls Mike Heath from the Christian Civic League [of Maine] a hate-monger.  She calls [Kennebec County Democrat Committee Chair] Rita Moran, from the Maine Democrats, "one heck of a woman."

Dionne bases her opinion of Moran on the fact that she has "been acquainted with her for years."  I have been acquainted with Heath and his wife, and I can state without hesitation that he is not a hate-monger.  Has [Dionne] taken the time to become acquainted with Heath to have a rational, objective dialogue with him?

The reason pagans are featured on the [League Record] website is to expose paganism for what it is.  Paganism is diametrically opposed to Christianity.
Aug 4, 2007 - 2:14:28 PM

Errata
Why Protect Evolution?
I appreciated the letter from Sara Alexander "State Sponsored Atheism."  She correctly pointed out that "nowhere in our Constitution does it call for separation of Church and State."  Atheists used that ruse to remove God from our schools and lives.

Jesus Christ was crucified for his teachings about God and Creation!  His Disciples were crucified or murdered for continuing his teachings after his death.  The Bible does not say credible or not credible — it says have Faith.

Atheists, on the other hand, labeled Jesus Christ and his Disciples’ teachings about God and creation as "not credible."  If they had not labeled God as "not credible" in 1982, we would not be teaching evolution today.
Aug 4, 2007 - 12:49:47 PM

Errata
State-sponsored atheism
In Lewis Richards’ July 11 letter retorting Brenda Norris’ June 30 article, Mr. Richards sites the erroneous "separation" of church and state argument, which is nowhere mentioned in the First Amendment or anywhere else in the Constitution.

One must read the phrase he sites in its context: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press."

The irony is that as a result of the faulty "separation" argument, we are on our way to creating a new national religion of atheism and secular humanism.
Jul 24, 2007 - 11:17:04 AM

Errata
Not a good impression
I am shocked and disappointed with the people of the town of Norway who sat idly by as Aaron Fuda and his gang of degenerates marched boldly down the center of Main Street during the town's Summer Festival.

There were grown men and women, including grandfathers and grandmothers, cheering and applauding as Fuda's group held high a giant, inflated [male genitalia] and pulled a huge marijuana joint in a wagon for all to see.  I found this "parade" offensive.

How dare Fuda and his gang inflict upon our children and grandchildren, who were standing in the crowd as well, this disgusting and lewd behavior.
Jul 17, 2007 - 8:35:53 AM

Errata
The Great Failure of Modern Art
The sculpture recently placed in the park beside Johnson Hall in Gardiner raises many intriguing questions.

First of all, what is it? Like most modern art, the streamlined brown curves do not represent any particular thing in nature, be it animal, vegetable, or mineral. Everyone is left to decide for himself what exactly the sculpture means.

This, of course, is the great failing of modern art. Modern art is the art of a society mired in subjective values, a society with no absolute values to preserve the health and well-being of its citizens. Modern art is by definition unnatural and unhealthy.
Jul 7, 2007 - 9:12:40 AM

Errata
The Product is the Issue with Porn Business
I read with interest Jeff Greenwald's letter regarding the pornography business in Waterville.

In his letter, Greenwald takes exception to those who have expressed negative comments concerning this "excellent" business enterprise, stating, "They need to relax and realize this couple is making a living, paying their bills and not bothering anyone out there."

I am all for free enterprise; that's not my concern. What troubles me is the product being distributed by this business -- pornography. Why? Because it is "bothering" people "out there."
Jul 5, 2007 - 9:55:27 AM

Errata
A Call to Christians
Have you noticed that there are more and more articles and letters in the Bangor Daily News and other newspapers and magazines written by individuals identifying themselves as Christians, who focus on the political-social issues of our time and who take positions that are incongruent with Christian Scripture?

I read and listen to many individuals who refer to themselves as Christians, yet they present arguments to support political-social issues that are inconsistent with biblical truth. Whether an individual identifies her or himself as a "liberal" or a "conservative" should not change the Christian position, since the Bible is clear regarding the sanctity of life and marriage, for example.

Jul 3, 2007 - 8:47:48 AM