Letters on religious beliefs, shrinking tree canopy, Obama, Girl Scouts

Variety of beliefs gives nation strength

Reading The Eagle’s letters to the editor, it becomes evident that a number of readers struggle to fit their religious and philosophical beliefs into American society.

American society is a mixture of various religious and philosophical concepts. Our society has been able to do this with a minimum number of hot spots.

Those who formulated some of this world’s major religions, and the variations that ensued, were individuals like you and me who were seeking answers concerning the world, life and meaning. The questions they asked boiled down to identity, purpose, direction, relationship, authority, morality and mortality.

We ask the same questions. We know them as: Who am I? Why am I here? Where am I going? Am I my brother’s or my sister’s keeper? Where does the buck stop? What is good and what is evil? What is life? What is death?

Few of us are conscious that we are asking these questions. Almost none of us asks them in an specific order.

Striving for a high common denominator, America draws strength from its various belief systems, welding them into “of the people, by the people, for the people.” In a sense, the writers are testifying to the results of their own questions. They are touching upon that which has made our nation unique and strengthened. Variety is good.

Religious freedom?

A row occurred over the news that Muslim students at Wichita State University are using a chapel on campus for prayers. The chapel is nondenominational and has always been. In fact, it really hasn’t been used that much during its history, mostly for conducting marriages.

Now that some pews and a small altar have been removed, people on social media and in letters to the editor are complaining, even though the university couldn’t very well tell students that they couldn’t use the chapel for their religious purposes.

One letter writer who condemned the university’s action even admitted he might be prejudiced against Muslims (“Change a mosque?” Oct. 10 Letters to the Editor).

The irony in all of this is that a lot of people in this community say they strongly believe in religious freedom and oppose political correctness, but you sure couldn’t tell it by listening to them now.

Shrinking canopy

Before proceeding with the development of a fourth ballpark in McAdams Park, which will likely require removing some healthy trees, perhaps the planners could publicly respond to a few modest inquiries.

To supplement the two diamonds on the north side of the park, might the kids use the one on the south end, too? Alternatively, why not refurbish the existing diamond at North Woodland Park, which is free of trees and is just due west?

The park service could also redevelop the former diamond in Murdock Park, only minutes away due east. It still has an existing backstop and only requires a fresh infield, as the outfield already is free of trees.

I’m curious about these options because, while I love baseball and am thrilled by the kids’ enthusiasm, Wichita’s canopy is shrinking daily. Inconvenient scheduling problems, temporary or seasonal, probably don’t compare with the permanent loss of more trees – even to the kids, if they were asked.

In over his head

Not only has Russian President Vladimir Putin taken charge in the war on terror, he has shown what kind of feckless, incompetent buffoon of a leader we have here in the United States of America. Maybe Putin didn’t get the message that President Obama would be more flexible in his second term. Or maybe Syrian President Bashar Assad didn’t understand all the lines drawn in the sand that he stepped over. Or the fact that our president went to the United Nations for backing with his deal with Iran, thinking that he would earn some “let’s be friends” points.

Obama is so far in over his head it’s enough to me sick.

Make a difference

I am working with the new Girl Scout clubs in Wichita schools. I get to see a diverse group of girls making new friends while they learn about science and math, anti- bullying, and positive body image and self-esteem.

This wouldn’t be possible without the help of community Girl Scout volunteers, who come from all walks of life. They are men, women, young professionals, retired teachers, college students and more.

If you enjoy working with school-age girls, are great at communicating, friendly, helpful and can lead one-hour sessions in our Girl Scout clubs once a week during lunch or after school, please contact me at rserrano@gskh.org. Please consider making a difference in the life of a girl. Join the mission of empowering girls through Girl Scout clubs, making the world a better place.

This story was originally published October 16, 2015 at 7:02 PM with the headline "Letters on religious beliefs, shrinking tree canopy, Obama, Girl Scouts."