My wife and I, as probably many readers, receive unsolicited e-mails from Christian friends and acquaintances we have known through the years. Many of the emails are simply copies that are forwarded on to us from unnamed sources.
During the current political season, we have been receiving copies of e-mails that malign and slander the character of persons running for high office, particularly for president of the United States, that are outright lies about them and their stated positions on various issues.
Question: Does the ninth commandment not apply during political seasons? When God says, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:16), are we not held to some level of accountability for the truthfulness and accuracy of the information about persons we forward on to others over the Internet?
It doesn’t seem likely that lies, even about political candidates, go unnoticed by Almighty God.
Bob Schmeltekopf
Kerrville
All about sex
The photo caption on page 15 of the June 23 paper says, “Chuck Sams … makes a motion to amend the Southern Baptist Convention’s constitution to add churches with female pastors to an article on membership that states that ‘among churches not in cooperation with the convention are churches which act to affirm, approve or endorse homosexual behavior.’”
Good golly, Miss Molly!
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Just what is it about female pastors and homosexuality in the same breath? Breathe, people. They are two different things, not joined by a comma, semicolon or in the same breath.
Go back and look at the headline on page 7: “Sex & Sects: Why does sex play such a large role within fringe religions?” The pot can’t call the kettle “blackie.” It is all about sex.
Shirley Taylor
Willis
VBS & diluted faith
Well, it’s that time of year again, when Baptist churches start spending hundreds, even thousands, of dollars on that event called Vacation Bible School.
Remember when it was during the day and you went and had snacks and worked on some crafts and then heard a good story out of the Bible?
Now it has to be a big production, with scenery and music and T-shirts and buttons and packages of all sorts costing lots of money.
Seems like churches overseas have VBS, too, and are very successful. Yet they do it the way Baptists did it in the ’50s—simple and complete.
As the churches in our society have become so materialistic, they have become less spiritual, and the result is diluted faith and ineffective witnessing.
When will we wake up?
Mick Tahaney
Port Arthur
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