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Opinion
Jun. 05, 2007
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

LETTERS: Well, then, where did God come from?

To the editor:

In his Monday letter, pastor Mike Robinson argues that a God exists because order cannot come from disorder, uniformity cannot come from the accidental, and design cannot come from chaos. This argument is only a more descriptive version of the old "you can't have something from nothing" argument for the reason that a God exists.

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    • Well, pastor, if this is true and you can't have something from nothing, then where did "God" come from? This must be one of those logic-defying "mysteries" that religious people have no answer for, but insist must be believed anyway.

    Although it is true that millions of people have no problem ditching their logic and reasoning skills in favor of supernatural beliefs, I'm happy to report that there are many millions of others who refuse to do so, and this number is growing. Given the choice of relying on invisible supernatural beings to guide one's life or relying on one's own intellect and rationality to do the same, more and more of us are choosing the latter.

    So, pastor, believe what you want, but, hey, if you ever get a chance to meet the someone or something that created your God (remember, you can't have something from nothing) I would like to have his/her/its contact information so I could give him/her/it a critique of God's job performance on Earth thus far. I'll be waiting.

    Teresa Harris

    LAS VEGAS

    Pay raises

    To the editor:

    I would like to commend Bill Bukovi for his letter to the editor in Sunday's Review-Journal, "Let's stop the 'teacher hate' rhetoric," and Michael Harrison for his letter in Monday's Review-Journal, "Once again, state shortchanges teachers." I agree wholeheartedly with both letters and find it hard to comprehend our state's reluctance to increase teacher pay while planning to increase the pay for District Court judges and state Supreme Court justices by 23 and 21 percent, respectively.

    I think it only fair that if 2-plus percent is adequate raise for teachers, then that same percentage should be the maximum limit for all raises to all of the elected positions in our state. After all, the folks seeking these elected positions were willing to accept the current pay when they ran for election.

    Bob Huggins

    LAS VEGAS

    School taxes

    To the editor:

    Regarding Monday's letter from teacher Michael Harrison complaining about the pay raises passed by the Legislature: I'd take any raise myself. Deal with it.

    My husband and I retired to Las Vegas almost 13 years ago. At that time, we were able to live on my husband's retirement check. Now it takes that plus my Social Security check and half my husband's.

    We are both in our 70s. We paid taxes all our married lives -- school taxes being the largest of all taxes. So I figured we paid school taxes for other people's children and then our own children. Yet, at our age, we are still paying the school taxes of everyone else's children again -- and it is again the largest part of our tax bill.

    Being on a fixed income, we've had to adjust to every increase in every utility bill and anything else it takes to live. But we suck it up, pay and make do with what we have. I sure could use a new car, new carpeting, the house painted, etc. But each one has to wait its turn until we can work it into our budget.

    Gee, if I didn't have to pay all those school taxes, my wants would be satisfied sooner. But I'm making do with what we have. I love living here and enjoy retirement, whether that includes getting needed things or not.

    Mr. Harrison made his choices. I'm sorry it's so hard for him, but we've all had to do our thing and go on.

    Bonnie Carrick

    NORTH LAS VEGAS

    Serve the law

    To the editor:

    Do judges sitting on the bench serve the people or do they serve the law? In my humble opinion, they should be serving the law. If the outcome of serving the law does not please the people, it should be the law that is changed, not the judge.

    The manner we now use to select our judges, competitive elections, encourages just the opposite. An unpopular decision, regardless of the law, is used by an opponent against the incumbent. That makes us a society of men, not a society of laws.

    Still, I can't argue against having the people's participation help determine who sits on the bench. This leaves the dilemma of how to serve the law while keeping the people involved. I suggest that judges be appointed, yet after a year face retention elections. Judges standing for retention are not beholden to those who appointed them. Not on the bench by popular election, they are not beholden to the people. They are totally beholden to the law.

    The "fourth estate" has the responsibility to publish the record of the judges standing for retention. While groups will campaign for and against retention, judges, beholden only to the law, need stand only on their record. Perhaps then the people will become more attuned to the law and not who is on the bench.

    Terry E. Peele

    LAS VEGAS

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    Shell wrote on June 08, 2007 08:47 PM: So True Mr. Huggins. I think a law should be passed that the people should Vote on Pay raises for their elected officials. They should not get to vote on it them selves. Maybe then our elected officials would work for Us after they get elected. Maybe then our teachers would get a decent raise for a change because the officials would know that their pay raise depends on the people being somewhat happy.


    Rodman88 wrote on June 05, 2007 09:48 PM: Why is it that everyone has a comment about teachers salaries, both pro and con, but no one seems to be able to un derstand the cause. Simply put, if all the illegal aliens of school age and all the children of illegals were removed from the schools,class size would be greatly reduced,fewer teachers would be needed, those students in school would be better educated and the money saved by these reductions would go to higher salaries for the teachers retained. I will not vote for any future school bonds to build more schools until the schools we have are used only to educate those who are American citizens and legally have the right to be in school and receive an education.


    Dalyne Easley wrote on June 05, 2007 05:00 PM: As a Christian I believe that I do not want to be standing next to you, Teresa, at your judgment. Anyone who has read the Bible knows it is the greatest history book ever written and the things written have been proven over and over again, making much more sense than scientific explanations, which always fall short. Also, faithful Christians and God-fearing people everywhere have morals and values that are much higher than people, such as yourself, who have no conscious or higher power to answer to or fear. I will pray for your lost soul and those like you.


    D wrote on June 05, 2007 03:52 PM: They always ask where did god come from. I ask where did earth, dinasaurs, trees, dogs, cats and i almost forget the almost distinct human race come from. How did this all come here?


    Joe wrote on June 05, 2007 03:17 PM: Why is it every year the people keep complaining about teacher pay and we need more money for education. Years ago there was less money available for education and the education system was much better off.
    Teachers unions & bloated bureaucracy have turned school districts into titanics sailing right into fiscal icebergs


    Joey Doyle wrote on June 05, 2007 01:51 PM: Teresa's logic only really works for atheists whose thinking is as religiously sloppy as that of many Christians.

    She's using the premise that you can't get something from nothing--which is not the pastor's phrase, so it's a bit of a straw man--to argue that God had to have been created. But Christians tend to believe that God is eternal, that is, that he did not have a beginning. This possibility could have some TEMPORAL correspondence to Hawking's recent SPACIAL postulate that the universe has no beginning or end--it goes in all directions forever. (For, according to Einstein, time and space are one.) Now, I'm not saying the Christians are correct--I have no personal experience with any diety. I'm merely pointing out that Teresa's position is not as founded as she would have us believe.

    Joey


    brian wrote on June 05, 2007 12:05 PM: No offense Alexis, but just because you believe it doesn't make it any truer than what Teresa believes. Several men believed that if they flew planes into buildings they're would be 72 virgins waiting for them in heaven. They're misguided yet you're not?


    Alexis Johnson wrote on June 05, 2007 11:16 AM: Teresa Harris, well when Judgement Day comes and it will, when Our Lord denies you because you denied Him, then Maybe you will see the error of your ways. I for one am glad that I have a God that takes care of me. He would love to show you the love that you obviously need, free of charge all you have to do is ask. Say that you believe and really mean it. Its as easy as that.


    Phil wrote on June 05, 2007 10:44 AM: It's good to see that Bonnie Carrick is paying her property taxes to help fund educating today's children in Nevada. If not, she would lose the home she lives in. We could make people like Bonnie a deal: She doesn't have to pay her property tax to fund education and we don't have pay for the social security and medicare benefits she and her husband receive and benefit from. Sounds like a good deal. What do you think Bonnie?


    Michael Harrison wrote on June 05, 2007 08:50 AM: In all due respect, Bonnie Carrick, someone educated you children with their tax dollars, as I will with mine. BTW, they are now saying that of the "huge" 2.375% raise, NONE of it will go into raises for the teachers, CCSD says it needs it for other things. Just because the state allocates it, doesn't mean that CCSD has to give it to us. Unfortunately we don't have a Union to fight for the paltry 2.375% either. We have an ineffective Association that say thank you for any scrap thrown their way.


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