Letters to the editor

Mennonite Brethren Herald welcomes your letters on issues relevant to the Mennonite Brethren Church, especially in response to material published in the Herald. Please keep your letters courteous, brief and about one subject only. We will edit letters for length and clarity. We will not publish letters sent anonymously, although we may withhold names from publication at the request of the letter writer and at our discretion. Publication is also subject to space limitations. Because the Letters column is a free forum for discussion, it should be understood that letters represent the position of the letter writer, not necessarily the position of the Herald or the Mennonite Brethren Church. Send letters to: Letters, MB Herald 1310 Taylor Ave. Winnipeg, Man.  R3M 3Z6 or send via e-mail. (Please ensure that your postal address is included in your e-mail correspondence.)

Standing up against hate crimes

Re “Taking it on the chin” (Viewpoint, Aug. 11). I found it repugnant that the University of Saskatchewan’s newspaper, The Sheaf, published a cartoon depicting our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ “in a sexual act with a pig.” Almost anything anti-Christian can and will be published under the auspices of freedom of expression.

This is a hate crime against Christianity, yet we Christians “take it on the chin.” We see relentless attacks on Christianity without the slightest protest or indignation from our community. This gives the impression that we don’t cherish our Saviour. Allowing these attacks to occur without reaction eventually trivializes the beliefs we hold sacred.

Perhaps we should become more reactionary and litigious. It’s time for Christians to stand up to this kind of blatant hate crime, for that’s what it is.

Randall Schmidt,
St. Catharines, Ont.

Demonstrating Christ’s love

Re “Taking it on the chin” (Viewpoint, Aug. 11). I couldn’t agree more with Dan Harder’s viewpoint. Unfortunately, it appears that some readers may have allowed one sentence to cloud their reading. Mr. Harder’s point was not that we should take no action, nor was he saying that we should not defend Christian standards.

Mr. Harder’s point was that we should demonstrate the most important and noble Christian characteristic of all and forgive those who are responsible for the cartoon. He explained how our response should demonstrate the love of Christ.

Yes, the cartoon was an expression of immaturity, depravity, and filth, but does that mean we should react with self-righteous indignation or worse? It’s true that Jesus called certain people a “brood of vipers,” and also took drastic action to clear the temple of money changers, but those people all claimed to be followers of God and should have known better. Jesus didn’t condemn tax collectors or prostitutes; yet spoke vehemently against the self-righteous leaders of his day.

Jesus willingly and silently endured scorn, mockery, degradation, torture, and ultimately death at the hands of those who didn’t know any better, and what was his response? He said, “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.” What good would come from the Christian community raising a loud cry of injustice over an ignorant, immature act that deliberately intended to get a rise out of us? Such action on our part would merely be playing into the hands of those who mock us.

If Jesus can forgive, why can’t we?

Joel Harder,
Winnipeg, Man.

Amish examples of forgiveness

Re “The forgiveness problem” (Intersection, Sept. 1). We have seen forgiveness demonstrated in a remarkable way in Lancaster County, Pa. these last couple of days. Everyone knows of the tragedy of the killing of the Amish children in the schoolhouse, but perhaps not everyone saw the picture of an Amish family bringing food to the home of the killer’s family. The Amish have, by word and deed, demonstrated forgiveness to the world. May we learn from them.

Susan Brandt,
temporarily from Lancaster, Pa.