DEAR EDITOR:
This letter is in response to Ron Erskine’s
”
Beware of True Believers
”
article. In his article Mr. Erskine speaks out against anyone
who believes that their religion is true.
DEAR EDITOR:
This letter is in response to Ron Erskine’s “Beware of True Believers” article. In his article Mr. Erskine speaks out against anyone who believes that their religion is true. Mr. Erskine states “If anyone or any belief system claims to have THE answer, turn around and run as fast as you can, you are talking to a fanatic. He may have found HIS answer … but it is certainly not THE answer.” I would like to respond to this bold statement by taking a look at one of the laws of logic.
The law of logic that I would like to look at is the most fundamental of all of the laws of logic, it is called the law of noncontradiction. The law of noncontradiction can be stated as saying that nothing can be both true and false at the same time in the same respect. For instance, the statement “I have a dog” is either true or false, it cannot be both true and false at the same time. This law of logic is simple, and to most people it simply states the obvious; the only reason that I am including it in my letter is that very few people realize how important this law is.
Mr. Erskine says to beware of any religion or person claiming to have THE answer, but what does that mean? It means that anyone can believe in their own religion, however they cannot believe that it is true for everyone. But, is it possible for everyone’s beliefs to be true? Or is it possible for a person’s religion to be true just for them? Let’s compare two different beliefs: theism and atheism. Theists believe that there is a God, atheists believe that there is no God. According to the law of noncontradiction, it is impossible for both viewpoints to be true. God cannot both exist and not exist at the same time. Therefore, God either exists or He does not exist, either the theists are wrong or the atheists are wrong. There is no middle ground on this question that will make everyone happy.
At the end of his article Mr. Erskine warns his readers: “Beware of True Believers. Beware of people with ‘answers‚’ because they are ‘right’ That makes someone else wrong, and now we’ve got trouble.” This response to disagreements between viewpoints is truly foolish. People who hold to this viewpoint want so badly to be “tolerant” that they are willing to say that everyone is right. This is illogical and childish. Even without having the laws of logic laid out, it is inherently obvious that everybody can’t be right at the same time. People who attempt to make everyone right are sacrificing truth on the alter of political correctness. They are creating a false reality for themselves, and in the process they are taking the meaning out of everyone’s beliefs.
After all, why would anyone in their right mind want to believe in a religion that they don’t believe is true?
Ben Whittaker, Gilroy
Submitted Saturday, Oct. 4 to ed****@****ic.com
