Have your say

Questioning atheism

In her Aug. 1 letter, Lack of belief, Diana Goods asks how belief in God adds specialness to life. This is an excellent question, and one that indicates that she is not entirely satisfied with her atheism.

My answer would be it entirely depends on what sort of world you think you live in. If your world is entirely mechanical, something that evolved from primordial slime, found on the surface of a lump of rock from the Big Bang, and held together by the Higgs boson, then, no, we shouldn't expect our horizons to be more than those of other animals.

So if we are not just another animal, what are we? To answer that question, perhaps we need to accept the possibility of a moral universe, as well as a material one. But if we allow our minds to wander to that area, we are then confronted with further questions. Whose morals? And if our universe and world are based on morals and spiritual truths that answer to our spiritual makeup, where do those things come from? And what is my relationship, and responsibility to whatever is responsible for those moral laws?

Goods should keep on asking questions. They might lead her into a much wider world than the one she now occupies.

JOHN BECKHAM

Winnipeg

I agree with Diana Goods that merely believing in God or a god would add little value to one's life. That's why many so-called Christians have lives that don't look any different than those who don't have such a belief.

Christianity is not just about having religion or simply believing that God exists. The devil believes in God. It is about having a relationship with God through His son, Jesus. True Christianity is having active communication with God by the Holy Spirit.

HOWIE KILFOYLE

Winnipeg

A viable alternative

There is a sense of excitement and hope with some new blood entering the provincial political landscape. Hopefully, Brian Pallister can engender a credible challenge to the NDP as a viable alternative is something that we desperately need.

It is essential that the province moves away from the NDP and its out-of-control spending. We are Slurpee capital, murder capital and deficit capital. Now that is the stuff legends are made of and the accountability goes directly to premier.

GARY HOOK

Winnipeg

Trying to be green

As I park in the vast expanse of black tarmac at any of the suburban malls, I see black, and no green. The trees are almost non-existent, and the landscaping is in the same category. There is no shade for the many cars in the parking lots and no shaded walkways.

It is so apparent that large parking lots with an absence of trees ensure that snow removal can be done in an expeditious manner, without having to think about a more pleasant environment in our city.

It is time to stop this kind of development, as the citizens of Winnipeg are now into environmental stewardship in all matters green.

WILMA SOTAS

Winnipeg

Precision vs. points

Re: Insulting headline (Letters, Aug. 4). If you want to use similes, the NFL is an apple to the CFL's crab apple -- smaller, less tasty and available earlier in the season.

The NFL rules focus on skill and talent. The CFL's expansive field and large end zone promote scoring points, not precision.

The CFL it is a football-like sport that amuses the appetite until the real fruit is ripe to pick.

PICHON LONGUEVILLE

Winnipeg

Numerous anecdotes

In his Aug. 1 letter, Just call it Turkish delight, David Rozniatowski was correct when he wrote that imam bayildi means the imam had fainted from gastronomic pleasure. However, it is just one anecdote, of which there are almost as many as there are spellings of the dish.

Others are he fainted because of the large amount of olive oil used by his bride, or because of its cost, or because she had used up her entire dowry of olive oil in a matter of weeks. In Turkey, they don't stint on olive oil.

I considered mentioning some of the legends in the column, Local chef gives tasty tour of the Middle East (July 27), but if I had there would have been little space left to describe the food. Whatever its derivation, it's a wonderful dish.

MARION WARHAFT

Winnipeg

Discomfiting sensibility

Gun aficionado and promoter Lex Winram (Shopworn views, Letters, July 30) dismisses criticism of lethal weapons as "standard and shopworn." No doubt the families of America's most recent victims of handguns and assault rifles will be brought to the comforting sensibility their complaints are really nothing more than "standard and shopworn."

In fact, the corollary advice, as many in Colorado choose to heed, would be to get your own gun to bring to the movies. Makes perfect sense: the solution to gun crime is more guns.

Rifles are farm tools but should be accounted for. I mean, in order to kill someone with my car, I have to have the proper licence.

On the other hand, Glocks and AK-47s are not hunting tools, unless you are a crazed nut hunting other people.

The 1800s are calling: They want their "standard and shopworn" ethos back.

PATRICK J. BURTON

Winnipeg

Lex Winram sounds like he has experience with firearms, so his views may hold on the shooting range. The original scenario refers to a movie theatre in which a gunman is shooting at patrons. It is more than 10 yards from the front of the theatre to the back and the incline is steep. It is dark, noisy, and confused. This is not a shooting range, but a battlefield.

Does he seriously believe, given those conditions, even an intensively trained handgun owner would be able to eliminate the shooter with one or two shots and not injure others? Battlefield evidence suggests otherwise.

I belong to neither an anti- or pro-gun crowd. Firearms have their uses and the current laws are satisfactory. What I do object to are pie-in-the-sky ideas that increasing the number of concealed weapons will make society a safer place.

IAN TOAL

Winnipeg

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 7, 2012 A10