Secular pressures; vaccination policy; racial tensions

Secular pressures

Cynthia M. Allen rightly stated in her Friday column (“Christians: Give up, fight or take Benedict Option”) that Christians are under attack in America and that the influence of biblical values in our society has been greatly reduced.

Jesus has already laid out the path that he commanded Christians to take. He said, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first,” and told believers, “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds.”

— Charles Layton, Fort Worth

Cynthia Allen’s column was a thought-provoking message for Christians trying to live the Gospel in today’s America.

The Benedict Option is worth consideration. Benedict didn’t just run away from something — he ran toward something. He needed quiet and peace in order to remember who he was called to be.

In remembering who we are called to be, and who we have professed to follow, perhaps we need to examine our own lives (mine included) to make sure that we are staying true to the Gospel.

In living that truth, we not only find the courage to withstand persecution, but hopefully our lives will bring light into the darkness.

— Diane C. Etzel, Fort Worth

Why is it surprising that fewer and fewer Americans self-identify as Christian when the adjective brings to mind words like bigot, hateful, misogynistic, ignorant and racist?

Fundamentalist preachers like Jerry Falwell decide “Christians” should get into politics. Then evangelicals take a hard right turn and form/join the Tea Party.

These folks know how to quote Scripture but not how to think; they recite Bible verses without comprehending what they mean.

They have given Christianity (and the Republican Party along with it) a very bad name.

— Tom Hallford, Keller

Vaccination policy

In the mid-1970s, I worked for a general practitioner with a large practice consisting of infants to senior citizens.

His policy was to refuse to accept any children as patients whose parents refused to have them vaccinated. No ifs, ands or buts. End of discussion.

It was a good policy then and should be continued, especially in this time of international travel. Many countries do not have such strict vaccination rules and the chance of infection is great for the unvaccinated.

Further studies by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have proven that the autism scare from vaccinations was unfounded. There should be no reason for any parent to refuse vaccinations for their children.

— Helen Boyer, Fort Worth

Racial tensions

In her “My Day” column on June 20, 1943, Eleanor Roosevelt expressed alarm at the racial tensions that had resulted in rioting in Mobile, Ala., and in Detroit.

She wrote that the attitudes expressed there “put us on a par with the Nazism which we fight, and makes us tremble for what human beings may do when they no longer think but let themselves be dominated by their worst emotions.”

The apparent acceptance that Donald Trump’s rants have received by a sizable sector of the population is similarly disquieting.

— Charles Alexander, Benbrook

This story was originally published July 15, 2015 at 5:21 PM with the headline "Secular pressures; vaccination policy; racial tensions."