Let’s talk: E-mail
In a recent column I promised that I would include some of my e-mail letters from readers in postings on the blog.
I’m not certain if I will do this on a certain day, but I am going to do so at least once a week.
Here are a few related to a column that ran a few weeks ago. The Rev. Steve Kern, senior pastor of Olivet Baptist Church, had contacted me about a story I wrote on a pastor who wrote a book about science, specifically evolution, being intertwined with religion.
Kern disagreed completely and the column was about his thoughts about science and religion. Here is the resulting correspondence in italics. I’ve placed my answers below each letter, along with another e-mail about a completely different story:
From Kirk:
Ms. Hinton, This is in response to the above article. You quoted a pastor, the Rev. Steve Kern, who was, and I assume still is, bewildered by the theory of evolution. He also criticized evolution because, he believes, it says that God is not needed. What’s the point of helping others if natural selection is true?, he asks. the only opposing view is that you mention Rev. Michael Dowd and his book “Thank God for Evolution” with no further information. You have provided no critical analysis of Rev. Kern’s statements.
The fact that he was bewildered is hardly a criticism of the scientific theory of evolution. I was bewildered by algebra, more often than not. This does not disprove algebra. It is more a criticism of the person, not the theory. Further, what does the fact that God may or not be needed have anything to do with it. We don’t ask that of the scientific theory of gravity. The theory of gravity is accepted in the scientific community just as evolution is. Natural selection has nothing to do with whether we should help others. That’s ridiculous. People who accept evolution healp others the same as those who don’t. One can have morals and ethics whether they accept evolution and independent of any religious belief. Even though I accept evolution I still give a significant amount to charity.
Giving no context or an objective analysis of the statements is not responsible. Evolution is a scientific theory that has been scrutinized, refined and accepted by large numbers of people who have studied it objectively from all over the world and by people from different faiths. This is the same scientific community that has given theories that Rev. Kern does accept eg. gravity, electrodynamics, genetics, etc. Even though you may not accept evolution (I really don’t know), a more balanced article is still expected. Maybe input from the science side of the newspaper would have helped since this really is an article critizing evolution, not really a religious article.
Anyway, thanks for your time.
Carla: Thanks Kir for the e-mail and I’m sorry it has taken me so long to get this posted.
I wrote an article in February about churches participating in a Darwin Day related initiative and I included comments from several Oklahoma pastors who hold similar beliefs as Michael Dowd. In that article I had quite a bit of contrasting opinion from an Oklahoma pastor who actively opposes evolution. It was a rather lengthy article. A few weeks later we had the story on Michael Dowd’s presentation at First Unitarian Church in which I basically summed up Dowd’s presentation on his book “Thank God for Evolution.”
The column was a way to get the opposing view out there, since the story on Dowd’s presentation was simply about his presentation.
In this case, I thought it was well established in the column that Kern was speaking out about an earlier story (which did not run in the Religion portion of the paper, but in the main section of the paper because it happened on a Sunday and was tied to another event the following Wednesday) on Dowd.
I have found that evolution is one of those subjects where people on either side do not feel that they have quite said enough in support or opposition. It is one of those “lightening rod” issues that it seems that we will always be debating.
It was not my intention to offend either group with any of the articles, columns, etc. I will look at different ways to approach the subject. Read on …
Nancy:
Hi Carla, I just read the article about a pastor thinking evolution is illogical. The Southern Nazarene University Division of Science and Mathematics will be hosting Dr. Denis Lamoureux on our campus April 20-21. He will be giving a public talk but the date and time is yet to be confirmed. He is an evangelical with three earned doctorates. He has just published a book “I Love Jesus and I Accept Evolution” which you can find here: “I Love Jesus and I Accept Evolution.”
In short, he is a Christian that holds a different perspective on this issue than pastor Steve Kern. Dr. Lamoureux addressed the issues of sin and death in his books. I have attached some articles that another paper printed prior to his visit in their community.
Carla: People will be interested to know about author Lamoureux’s upcoming visit. We’ll try to find out more information about included it on the Religion theme page this coming Saturday, April 18. Thanks for the information.
Catandtony: Dear Ms. Hinton,
I doubt very seriously if you will answer this, but I read your article in the Daily Oklahoman dated March 29, and felt compelled to respond to your current focus on Nazism. My question to you is this: You speak of “genocide.” What’s the difference between what the German Nazis did than what can now be legally done in the United States by aborting millions of “living” unborn humans … which currently way exceeds the claimed 6 million Jews. If you are an honest, realistic person, and not one that’s in denial, would you not also call this a current genocide? Your focus should be on the hear and now if you have learned anything from history. Unless you have a Nazi mindset that can excus the current genocide. Millions do.
Also, do you have any “solutions”? Or is your focus just on history? Also atrocities have gone on since day one. You have no idea what currently goes on, and what will continue to go on … because that is human nature. Wake up.
Carla: Thanks for your e-mail catandtony. Your e-mail reminded me of the reasons I have never attempted to do this, correspond with readers on the blog. It’s hard to communicate with someone who seems to be attacking you. One is not sure if the person really wants to hear what you have to say or if they are just attempting to draw you out into launching a counterattack. Whichever it is, I wrote the story about the “Deadly Medicine” exhibit that you are referring to because it is a new exhibit at Science Museum Oklahoma, brought to our community by the Jewish Federation of Greater Oklahoma City and community partners.
It is one of the ways the federation and the metro area Jewish community fulfills its commitment to “never forget” the victims of the Holocaust. It’s their way of sharing history with the community but also encouraging community members to remember their own role to speak out against oppression in our world today.
I am aware that many people see abortion as a form of genocide. However, my story was not about abortion, but about the Holocaust exhibit “Deadly Medicine.”
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Make Holocaust denial illegal? Scholar says no.
Noted Holocaust scholar Deborah Lipstadt said she has heard that some people think Holocaust denial —denying the Holocaust ever happened — should be against the law, like child pornography or hate crimes.
At Sunday’s Yom HaShoah Holocaust Commemoration, Lipstadt said she is against such a measure.
She said making Holocaust denial illegal would be turning the deniers into martyrs.
She also said it would suggest that “we don’t have the evidence (that the Holocaust happened), which we do.”
Lipstadt was a powerful speaker. You could tell that she had connected with the audience because thee was complete silence. I took my 15-year-old son with me to hear her speak and he was just as enthralled by what she had to say as others in the audience.
Another Madoff fraud victim
I’ve been fortunate to have met many famous people in my journalism career and particularly in my role as religion editor.
Evangelist Billy Graham comes to mind as I write this posting.
I did not personally meet Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel when he spoke at Oklahoma City University several years ago during activities related to the 10th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. However, as part of my job, I attended Wiesel’s presentation and was moved by his speech.
Wiesel, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and the author of the acclaimed book “Night,” is in the news this week because he and his wife were apparently victims of Bernie Madoff’s alleged fraudulent investment scheme that has made headlines in recent months.
CNN recently reported that Wiesel said he invested $15.2 million from his charitable foundation with Madoff. For people interested in learning what Wiesel had to say about Madoff’s alleged scheme and its impact on Wiesel’s charitable endeavors, see CNN’s report on the issue: Elie Wiesel speaks out about Madoff.
(PHOTO AT RIGHT: Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner.)
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Exploring the Holocaust in movies
My column in The Oklahoman today focused on the interesting fact that six Holocaust themes movies have premiered in recent weeks or will shortly premiere in the coming weeks.
The idea for the column came to me after reading an article on the subject in the Dec. 8 issue of Newsweek.
I thought readers might like to read that article by Annette Insdorf.
If you are interested inInsdorf’s Newsweek article, following this link: “Nazis and the Movies”
(AP PHOTO: Actors Jason Isaacs and Viggo Mortensen arrive for the premiere of “Good” at the Museum of Jewish Heritage Dec. 11 in New York.)
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Goodbye to a survivor
(Photo by Steve Sisney, THE OKLAHOMAN) Oklahoma lost a living treasure today with the death of Holocaust survivor Manya Kornblit of Ponca City.
I first met Manya Kornblit in 2005, when I interviewed her for a story about the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
Her sweet and gentle spirit transcended the horrors of what happened to her in that death camp. She spoke of going without food and watching as Nazis dragged her friends and family off to be killed. In a no-nonsense manner, she volunteered to show me her arm, where her Nazi captors had imprinted the letters KL, representing the German words for concentration camp.
Kornblit, 83, survived five concentration camps while nine of her family members perished. She told me that when she was freed by Russians, she was 21, 5 foot 1 and weighed 67 pounds.
It was one of the highlights of my reporting career, an honor, to meet her and her husband, Major, and hear first-hand how they triumphed and survived despite incredible odds.
Members of the Oklahoma Jewish community are in mourning, said Cathy Pettyjohn-Russell, director of Holocaust Education and Community Resources for the Jewish Federation of Greater Oklahoma City.
“We’re losing eyewitness testimony to history. That’s why it’s so important that we have our remembrance ceremonies,” Pettyjohn-Russell said.
She referred to the annual ceremony and traditional candle lighting to commemorate the 6 million Jews and 5 million additional victims who were murdered by the Nazis.
This year’s Holocaust remembrance program is 2 p.m. May 4 at Stage Center, 400 W Sheridan Ave., with Israeli Holocaust survivor Eliezer Ayalon as guest speaker.
Pettyjohn-Russell said Manya Kornblit had been a regular attendee at the remembrance program and her presence will be missed.
Kornblit is survived by her beloved husband of 63 years, Meyer; two sons, Sammy and Michael; two daughters-in-law, Diane and Joan; five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren; and her brother, Chaim of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, tax-deductible contributions be made to the Respect Diversity Foundation (created by Kornblit’s son Michael and her daughter-in-law Joan), 2808 W Lexington Way, Edmond, 73012.
I’ll never forgot Kornblit’s last words to me, as we wrapped up our 2005 interview: “We remember. We were there. We are survivors.”
