Letter to the Editor
Dehumanizing
Published Thursday, November 20, 2008
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To the editor:
I see Bible Baptist Church has again decided to offend its neighbors by declaring to all who drive by, and are subjected to their sign theology, that Democrats kill babies while Republicans kill animals.
If I were to use their logic, I could state that Republicans are racist and Democrats are multi-cultural, or Republicans vote for convicted felons and Democrats vote for law-abiding candidates. The problem with these statements, besides being incorrect, is that they drive a wedge between neighbors. So instead of trying to find common ground to engage in dialogue, positions are polarized and communication is lost. Personally, I am fed up with the politics of hate and division, be it from the left or the right.
As America transitions to new leadership, perhaps now is the time to come together and to start talking to one another again instead of over, or through, one another. Maybe if we listen to one another instead of listening to the talking heads, we can rediscover the importance of respect as we try to understand each other, even if we do not agree on every issue. Who knows, maybe we will find out that we have more in common that any us imagined.
Each of us is far too complex to be easily labeled Republican or Democrat, liberal or conservative, right or left, pro-choice or pro-life. Sure, this is idealistic, but the alternative is to continue the culture war that has been raging in this country. It is bad enough that we dehumanize our enemies to make it easier to hate and kill them, but in recent years, we have used the same techniques on our fellow citizens. It is time to decide whether we harden our positions, or if we take a chance, reach for the olive branch, and try to see each other as neighbors.
Community Discussion
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That was a breath of fresh air. It's good to know there are more people out there who would like to see constructive dialogue instead of the divisive and petty junk we hear every day. Kudos to you Jeff...well said!
Jeff, the sign was a reference to positions within the two party platforms. Democrats: pro abortion Republicans: pro guns & therefore hunting.
Having said that, as a member of Bible Baptist Church, I do agree with you as to communicating with each other and respecting each other as worthwhile human beings.
The sign was a statement against abortion. It was not directed at individuals, but at the position of those who support abortion.
Maybe someone needs to burn their sign down again.
Well at least the sign is useful for identifying some of those of whom it is said "Simplistic slogans for Simplistic minds".
"Fourchords" I just knew somebody would suggest that in these posts!
alaskaflower, individuals make up groups and it only stands to reason that not everyone in a group has the exact same mindset as everyone else. An example of that would be to assume that everyone in your church thinks exactly the same way on ALL issues. I'm sure there is a consensus on many issues but, not all, right? And maybe, just maybe, there is someone in your congregation that supports a pro-choice stance.
You might suggest to whoever decides what will be put on that sign to choose language a little less inflammatory, and divisive; your message might be better received.
I didn't think churches, which are non-profit entities, were allowed to engage in politics without endangering their non-profit status with the IRS...
Making Republican vs. Democrat arguments sure sounds like engaging in politics to me!
At least it was non partisan. It is preaching from the pulpit about candidates the IRS doesn't like. Freedom of speech at play. I wonder if the letter writer realizes he is no different than the church's sign. His right to express his opinion to the public. You may not like the message, but support the concept of freedom of speech.
signs, signs, everywhere a sign. Don't you know the end of the world is coming and Alaska is going to be refuge for the world's chosen so we need to build a gaspipeline. Oh Sorry I was channeling Wasilla their for a moment......
"Maybe if we listen to one another instead of listening to the talking heads, we can rediscover the importance of respect...."
Truly, I agree, Mr. Retterer.
To point out the obvious: this listening to one another will have to mean not just listening to those whose company we seek -- like our families and our co-religionists -- since we probably agree with them already. When people spend most of their time with ideologically similar people, their views usually become more polarized, not less.
No, we need opportunities -- though we might not always think of them so positively -- to interact with people of different backgrounds and political persuasions. Given that most of us, most of the time, cling to what is familiar and comfortable, where can we get such opportunities?
My favorite option is the local pub -- the pub you stop by at before walking home, the pub that primarily serves the neighborhood and gives the locals a chance to talk politics, religion, family, and local affairs, and to form relationships based on something other than ideological similarity.
Similar options are the corner store, the barbershop or hair salon, and the cafe. There must be places we go where the main draw is neither (a) ideological communion or (b) goal-driven business -- and where there is little to do but sit and talk. In those places, we can come to value our neighbors as we value ourselves and come to sympathize with their once-alien points of view.
(For more on the benefits of local meeting places, I recommend Ray Oldenburg's book "The Great Good Place: Cafes, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons and Other Hangouts at the Heart of a Community": http://fairbankspedestrian.wordpress.com...)
How else can we start listening to each other and having respect for others' contrary views? What ideas do people have?
Paul Adasiak
"The Fairbanks Pedestrian"
Pubs?!?! You want people to go consume alcohol and THEN start debating abortion?!?!?
Paul, what are you thinking . . .
I thought he wanted folks to go drink alchohol and the go make babies
ALCHOHOL + POLITICS = BARFIGHT!
"The sign was a statement against abortion. It was not directed at individuals, but at the position of those who support abortion."
Do you really expect us to believe you, flower? If what you say is true, the sign should have read: "Abortion, not Democrats kills....."
I am so tired of your lies.
Drugs + Politics = Nick
As a famous man once said, "their chickens will come home to roost" on the sign.
Or like another famous man said "they did'nt do enough" "they wish they had done more" with the sign. Or perhaps "GD democrats"
Now we all know these are harmless statements taken out of context. So let's just give the church and Akflower the benifit of the doubt on this one
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Excellent article Jeff! The world most certainly isn't black and white, but many different shades of gray. When we try to pretend that just isn't so is when we get ourselves into the most trouble.
Who's the whack job that puts up these signs? It must not be a church goer. That sign is there as a sign of open arms welcoming all people to their church. Pointing the finger and labeling is not the best way to gain listeners. I personally pointed a finger right back at 'em, my middle finger. Looks like I won't call on them for guidance. See what they have caused me to do? I thought they were supposed to help people. If they want to say something to get people to stop having abortions, why don't they put up a sign similar to "Give the gift of a baby to ones who are without" or "Your baby has us" let women who are considering abortion to reconsider. It doesn't matter if it's legal or not, Democrat or Republican, it's still the woman's choice. Bible Baptist Church should be her first choice for the Baby she does not want.
I think we should all watch "Baptists at the Bar-B-Que. It's film made by the mormons that shows even mormons and baptists can get along. Well at a bar-b-que at least.
That Bible Baptist church sign has been a sign of hatred and intolerance for a long time, and is so UN-Christian, that Jesus would probably not even recognize it as a representative of His teachings. "Love thine enemies," "Forgive seventy times seven" and "Let those without sin cast the first stone," come to mind when I think of Jesus, but BBC doesn't preach those things. It preaches the opposite. When the Rapture comes, Jesus will take one look at that sign and pass the whole church up. (No, I don't believe in the Rapture. I was speaking theoretically about their attitude and behavior.)
I'm not listening to any of you people.
"Democrats: pro abortion"
No one is pro-abortion.
"You might suggest to whoever decides what will be put on that sign to choose language a little less inflammatory, and divisive; your message might be better received."
Unfortunatley baptists don't know how to get any sort of message across that's not extremely hate filled. Keep in mind the Baptist church has given us such nice people like Fred Phelps and Westboro Baptist Church (Our soldiers die in Iraq because we're tolerant of gays, Katrina happened because of gays, etc. etc). Granted, Bible Baptist isn't that extreme but the message of hate is still there.
So valkyrie, ALL baptists are filled with hate? No one is
pro-abortion? Couple of interesting statements there fella. I do think if you support abortion, then you are pro-abortion.
Democrats And Liberals kill babies while Republicans kill animals! Well, what’s not true about this?
"So valkyrie, ALL baptists are filled with hate?"
If you willingly associate with people that think the reason 9/11 happened is because of our tolerance of gays then that makes for a compelling argument. When you see not just one, or a couple of churches, not just here but throughout the country with signs saying, "God hates f*gs" then once again, it makes for a compelling arguement. Whether not indiviual people actually think this; The fact that you willingly associate with this makes you just as bad as the person that put that sign up.
"I do think if you support abortion, then you are pro-abortion."
No one is pro-abortion. Some of us are pro-choice. Not surprised you think they're one in the same. Some of us think a woman shouldn't be forced to give birth after being a victim of rape or incest.
Curmudgeon is wise.
Good one, Mackie.
Valkyrie -
I agree that if the intent is to keep the topic in the public eye and spur discussion, it would be far more constructive to word things in a less inflamatory and divisive manner. It's a question of - do you want to initiate productive dialog . . . or conflict?
But, if no one was pro-abortion, it would still be illegal.
"Baptist at the Bar-b-que" is a great movie. We should just agree to disagree. Be nice.
I know several current and former members of Bible Baptist Church, and I’ve never thought of them to be hate-filled or intolerant. They’re genuinely kind individuals who care about their families, their friends and their community. If they were truly hateful and intolerant then the church or its members would probably do more than simply put up a sign. They probably would have tried to blow up our local abortion clinic. They probably would be burning crosses on people’s lawns. They probably would have been downtown yelling at, spitting on, and throwing rocks at the homosexual marriage supporters this past weekend. But they weren’t. So in conclusion, Bible Baptist Church and its members probably aren’t as hate-filled and intolerant as the people labeling them hate-filled and intolerant.