OpinionSeptember 7, 2022

Shame on paper for printing letter

In response to the Daily News printing the letter Sept. 1 from Timothy Moore, of Potlatch, I am writing to express my profound dismay that the Daily News would print such a letter. The argument is not only based on erroneous information about Christianity and Judaism as a whole, but also is so filled with antiJewish sentiment as to be clearly antisemitic. Shame on you, editorial staff, for not screening this information — and for not knowing enough to recognize such content for what it is.

As a Christian, I am led by Jesus as revealed in scripture to love of God and neighbor — regardless of their ethnicity, identity, religion or nationality. As an American, I cling to the freedom of worship enshrined in our Constitution, freedom from a religious test for holding office and freedom to assemble and worship without fear. Religious leaders from Judaism and Islam, and yes, Christian denominations, have argued that the Dobbs ruling, along with the draconian antiabortion law of the State of Idaho, prohibit the free exercise of religion not only by Jews and Muslims, but even by Christians who do not recognize the love of God in the ideology of so-called Christian nationalism, or anti-abortion absolutism. The Episcopal Church, which I serve, along with many other denominations have spoken out forcefully and strongly against the merging of religion and nation, the distortion of our ancient faith and a threat to American democracy.

Mary Beth Rivetti

Moscow

Columnist is not winning

Some of the regular writers of the His View column seem to be in competition to see who can get the most responses to the opinions they express. One expects various opinions on a subject but if the writer uses insults or misleading/inaccurate facts, it is likely many letters will be written to the editor in response. The letters to the editor over the last few days must have Chuck Pezenshki feel like he is winning.

Thank you Keith Petersen for your humorous response to Pezeshki’s column. It was nice to start my day with a laugh.

Linda Rasmussen

Moscow

Please take away columnist’s platform

Please stop giving Chuck Pezeshki a stage from which to spew out and show off his meanness, ignorance and laughable immaturity. He’s gone over the edge into “crazynastyloudfoxspeak.” You publish many writers, local and national, who are experts on their topics and write with skill and decency. Tiffany Midge and Ryan Urie are two local columnists who come to mind. How about asking Keith Peterson, historian, to write a regular column? Or the League of Women Voters? Or writers from the University of Idaho Argonaut? Or go back to the Everybody’s Got a Story feature. The options are endless. Why keep giving Chuck the ink?

Diana Armstrong

Moscow

About the apocalypse

Daily headlines, straight to your inboxRead it online first and stay up-to-date, delivered daily at 7 AM

Pepper Trail’s recent column, “Apocalypse is coming soon, well, maybe” did not mention the true apocalypse or biblical tribulation, which all signs indicate is coming soon. The last book of the Bible, Revelation, could also be translated “apocalypse.” All the signs mentioned by Trail of weather-related disasters are just part of the many prophecies given in the Bible leading up to the tribulation period, which is a seven-year judgment of the worldby God.

The key forewarning sign is Israel back in the land God gave the Jews. An increase in natural disasters is another sign. Three critical signs that puzzled biblical scholars through much of history were the level of destruction in the seven-year Tribulation period, the ability of the world dictator to control buying and selling and the ability of people all over the world to know what was happening in Jerusalem at the same time. For us in the 21st century, none of these are puzzling.

We now have the technology to destroy on an unprecedented scale, the computing power to track everyone, at least as soon as we are chipped or bar coded appropriately, and worldwide instant communications. We also see the World Economic Forum and the United Nations relentlessly pushing for a world government, which will lead to the world dictator known as the Antichrist. A key pre-apocalypse prophecy that Christians look forward to, is the rapture, in which God has promised to take all biblical Christians to heaven, his home.

The tribulation period is in part to punish those people who reject God and those who hate God’s messenger people, the Jews. But it is not to punish his own people, the Christians, so he removes us first. God has warned all people; therefore, be prepared and choose eternal life.

Larry Kirkland

Moscow

Catholic views?

I am writing in response to Timothy Moore’s Sept. 1 letter to the Daily News. First, I can categorically state that Moore’s parochial viewpoints are not held by all Catholics. I personally know and have worked side by side with many broadminded Catholics who have a better understanding of history and the need for embracing the common roots Judaism and Christianity share. I believe that Father (Steve) Dublinski (at Pullman’s Sacred Heart Catholic Church) and many other Catholic clergy can attest to the previous statement. In fact, I have had the good fortune to have married two wonderful women; one deceased who was Catholic and my current wife who is Catholic. For full disclosure, I am Jewish.

I should remind Moore that a significant portion of the liturgy he enjoys when he attends Mass is tied to what he might refer to as the Old Testament. This collection of stories and wisdom was written in part centuries before Jesus lived by those we call Jews. This part of the Bible for Moore has more than 600 laws and commandments. He is clearly bothered by the “Judification” of our nation’s laws. I stumble over Moore’s ignoring (or is it his ignorance?) that Christian ethics, principals and laws are deeply rooted in Jewish tradition. And some 2,000 years ago these were amongst the laws that Jesus of Nazareth, a Jew himself, followed.

Larry Fox

Pullman

Disrespecting Jesus

In his Sept. 1 letter, Timothy Moore critiques Judaism while claiming to be a Christian. He seems to forget that Jesus was Jewish. Thus to disrespect Judaism is to disrespect Jesus.

Walter Hesford

Moscow

Daily headlines, straight to your inboxRead it online first and stay up-to-date, delivered daily at 7 AM