Should an atheist remain a minister?
Re Atheist minister can keep on preaching, Nov. 10 I know that inclusiveness and diversity are the watchwords of the day. But are there no limits?
Can an anarchist expect to get security of tenure as a judge?
Is a prohibitionist qualified for a job as an advertising manager for a distillery?
Can a multilateralist expect to be welcomed onto the White House staff?
Should a member of the Flat Earth Society have the right to hold a research position at the Hayden Planetarium?
I could go on and on. Colin McNairn, Toronto What I see Gretta Vosper doing is bringing religion into the 21st century. The Abrahamic religions are all based largely on a creationist base, which has been disproved time and time again. Evolution has been proven and you can’t have evolution and creation exist together unless you contort creation into something that is outside of the parameters of Jewish, Christian and Islamic beliefs.
What the United Church is accepting, perhaps kicking and screaming, is its evolution into a 21st century organization. One that is there to provide its congregation with some forms of moral leadership and the ability to belong to a group of like minded individuals. A place where people can be comforted when tragedies occur in their lives. As a former member, I have always considered the United Church to be Christianity Lite, and this is just one step further in that direction. I congratulate it on its forwardness and suggest that atheists and agnostics from other religious denominations join them. Tim Bilida, Toronto First vow made by a United Church minister at ordination:
I believe in God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and I commit myself anew to God.
Gretta Vosper: I do not believe in God, ergo, I am not a United Church minister.
I hope this observation offers some clarification. Rev. James McKnight, St. Catharines That’s enough to turn a true believer into an atheist. Douglas Cornish, Ottawa