An eternal challenge

Dear editor:

The March 12 Viewpoints page’s Letters to the editor section is almost entirely filled with clarifications and corrections of clarifications and accusations of missing the obvious and twisting the truth about religious matters.

I want to propose a challenge. I call upon those who really want to do something constructive for mankind. Perhaps responses to this challenge may be more important than the publishing of religious arguments — which will not be settled to everybody’s liking in this life.

Here is the challenge: Since it appears that we have pretty much settled the matter of eternal life (just not how to achieve it), let’s take a close look at what is going on earthside, now. Let’s think about what inheritance we are leaving our offspring and theirs.

Many believe that humans will have to stand before God and give explanations as to how we lived. Perhaps we need to take a look at how we are living. Maybe we need some sort of daily score card that will cause us to assess our progress toward making this a better world. We have been entrusted with its care and keeping. How seriously are we taking this trust?

I invite our readers to jump in, and write in, with their viewpoints about such things as the environment, the conservation of our natural resources and preserving the beauty of the world. For example, we hear that there is a lot of oil still in the ground. It will last for a long time. But will it last for two generations or three? When it is gone, how will our descendants run their cars and heat their homes? The earth does not appear to be making more oil or aluminum or iron. What will happen when these resources are used up? Or do we not care, because we will not be around to suffer, tucked safely away

behind the pearly gates?

Scripture offers 150 Psalms. Someone has written one more:

Psalm 151:

“The world is the Lord’s

And all that is in it.

We are his caretakers

And his stewards.

He has blessed us with clean air to breathe And pure water to drink,

With bountiful resources

Hidden deep in the earth

That bring us food and warmth. Teach us, O Lord,

To conserve and preserve

The good things we see about us, Using only what we need,

Saving for the future,

That our children and

Our children’s children

May have many years

Of happiness in the

World that is not theirs.” C.G. Smith Hot Springs