Judgment lends emotional and offensive voice to Hopkins' opinion

Dear Editor,

I am writing you to respond to the article in last week’s paper written by Thad Hopkins. I am one of many students who have been outraged by this deliberate attack on our chapel. I am glad that Thad has his own opinions and he has every right to express his views, but I believe he went about it all wrong. So, in return I am exer-cising my right to express my views. If he meant to make people mad and get them thinking, the he succeeded, but not in the way I believe he was aiming for.

In regards to the writer: first of all, who are you to claim that you are a per-fect God-fearing person? I’ve seen the clothes that you wear and the way you do your hair. Does the Bible not say that men should dress as men, and women should dress as women without drawing attention to themselves? There is a Mennonite community near my home town that strictly follows these rules…by your standards they would seem to be the best Christians, because they are following God’s word. However, you do not seem to hold these views. I am sure you have a TV, photographs, and your own choice of clothes and hairstyle and other things of this world that the Bible says not to have in order to not become too worldly. If you do, you are a HYPOCRITE my friend. You are not following God’s words and so you are not a devout Christian.

I do wear the clothes that I want to, own lots of possessions and even wear my hair like I want. I am not the perfect Christian, but I love God and I pray and talk to Him all the time for guidance and forgiveness. I accepted Jesus Christ into my life two years ago, and I fully believe that I am going to heaven and will meet my savior. My main point its this: I am not passing judgment on you, I am just pointing out that you yourself are not perfect, so before you go passing judgment on others…look at yourself, and if you don’t like our Chapel (which I think our Chaplin does a wonderful job) you should worship somewhere else where you feel comfortable.

As I read your article, a few things came to mind. Did you talk to Christine first about your concerns? It appears not because you did not express you had talked to her and her words are nowhere in the article. She had no chance to defend herself or address your concerns concerns. How is that fair? You may not believe in what she is doing, but this is America, and if you want people to understand or follow your views, you need to present all sides of the story in a fair and calm matter. Your article might not have been so offensive had you calmly addressed the issues, instead of calling our Chapel a place of sin and blasphemy and referring to some girls that were at Derby Rock prostitutes. I agree that it was distasteful to have that event there, but if you want to take steps to change where it is held, you should TALK to those involved, not alienate them.

One point I’d also like to make is that chapel is non-denominational. This means that people of all faiths are welcome to worship in their own way there. Thad, some people, including I (a God loving Christian myself), believe that it is ok for a woman to be a Chaplin. If God told her that is what He wanted her to do and she does right by Him and His word, she has every right to spread His message to the world. Again you are entitles to your views, but if you are truly disgusted with a woman preaching, then you should worship at another Church (which there are many in Alma).

LOVE, is that not what the Bible wants us to have for our neighbors? Your words were so hate-filled; I saw no love in them! In the Bible it also says not to pass judg-ment on others, because judgment will be passed unto you in the way that you passed it on to others. Who are YOU to judge how Christian our Chapel is by letting a homosexual man speak to a crowd? I was not in attendance when this happened, but your article made it seem like he was worshipping the devil himself. Yes, the Bible condemns homosexuality, but I do not hate homosexuals, as you seem to in your article. I love them like everyone else. I firmly believe that our God is a gracious and forgiving God and loves all of us. Homosexuality is not my choice, but I refuse to pass judgment on others who have chosen that life style, because I am not perfect myself.

In closing, I do urge you to voice your concerns, because we all have that right. If you are upset with things, then the only way to change anything is to speak out. However, when you voice your opinion you should have all the facts and be careful as to your choice of words, because many, including your professors and peers, can become hurt and offended in a way that might not be easily defended.

Sincerely,

STACEY FOGARTY (06)

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