Problem-Solving: The Abstract Can Distract

Robert Scheer is absolutely right to state that religion can be used to justify almost anything (“You Can Use God to Justify Anything,” Commentary, Aug. 21). But what does that prove? Any noble idea--patriotism, environmentalism, social reform--can be perverted to evil ends. Science is hardly in a position to pass judgment. Remember the Nazi doctors and the Tuskegee syphilis researchers and their reprehensible acts in the name of “science.” And pure motives are no safeguard, as the history of atomic research demonstrates.

What’s disturbing about Scheer is that he apparently believes that science is, by its very nature, beyond question, whereas religion is open to personal interpretation and therefore should be ignored, except when convenient. Thus, he applauds the “mature Christianity” of Britain while slighting the presumably “immature” Christianity of the pope. What arrogance!

Matthew Lim

San Diego

Re “Faith-Based Sleight-of-Hand Diverts Us From Real Needs,” Commentary, Aug. 19: John Balzar delivered the most outstanding piece on how well the White House and Congress feed the ancillary (distraction) issues to the public while ignoring the real problems and means by which to solve them, leaving them on the back burner to rot while little gets done to bring a better life for many needy and disabled people.

The bean counters in major corporations, administrators in schools and colleges, and yes, those even in high-level major sports all ignore the vast numbers of those who are unemployed, work only on a piecemeal basis or are physically or mentally unable to work and have problems needing resolution.

“Faith-based” is simply a horrendous distraction, for it does so little to really deal with problems--and Balzar drove his thesis home. Just don’t forget that mixing faith and federal dollars can bring on a terrible distraction in itself.

Jerry Aronow

West Hollywood