WCR Letters to the Editor

Church never should have gotten involved in march

The article states that the Catholic organizations "joined this campaign based on careful consideration of the march's goals." My research into the Canadian and international "march demands" has shown me that we should never have been involved.

I have discovered such an intricately woven web inextricably including reproductive freedom, the destruction of the traditional family and parental rights, the deconstruction of the natural understanding and definition of gender, and the silencing and preferably destruction of religious influence in the world.

The greatest difficulty I found was that which I refer to as "weasel words" - "empowerment of women" within the aforementioned is always to be understood to include reproductive freedom (access to abortion), similarly "violence against women."

The phrase "women's rights are human rights" a phrase also constantly used, would make same sex marriage and access to abortion "human rights."

Although the "march" may not be a physical one in many places, there are in fact three planned that I know - all to be held in October this year, one in Montreal, one in Ottawa on Parliament Hill and the ultimate at the United Nations in New York.

At these events the world demands will be presented and if we have not withdawn our Roman Catholic support, that very support will be used to intimidate the developing nations.

I recently attended the United Nations and saw much too closely the radical feminist agenda at work - this "march" is another of their crafted tools.

We as Roman Catholics must address more intricately the issues of poverty amongst women and violence against them - but it must be on our terms and with organizations who honestly want to promote these goals and who respect our faith traditions and ethics.

Jakki Jeffs
Guelph, Ont.

Alta. college ruling detrimental to life

The proposed policy will allow Alberta abortionists to use the technique known as "feticide" to prevent the baby from being born alive after the abortion as were several at the Calgary Foothills Hospital.

Many of these "terminations" resulted in infants who were born alive, then left without food or fluids until they died. Some took quite some time to do so. A syringe of potassium chloride injected directly into the babies hearts, through the abdomen of their mothers, would solve that problem.

Father Richard Welch, president of Priests for Life, says, "We must speak up and stop them . . . without ethics and a regard for the sanctity of life, medicine can become a tool of evil.

"Here it is so perverted that the most vulnerable of the vulnerable . . . unborn children with disabilities . . . are the victims of those who should be most dedicated to helping them.

"Those who try to rationalize that death with appeals to 'quality of life' and 'lethal deformities' are hiding from the truth and committing genocide in their hearts.

"The physicians of Alberta should be ashamed at presuming that these children . . . who are precious in the sight of God . . . have no value here on earth."

Anne Pinkoski
Drayton Valley

Editorial promoted disunity

It is time for a global awareness campaign with its main focus to unite, educate and aim to eliminate poverty and violence against women. It is an exciting time for all to unite and focus on a common vision regardless of culture, experience, race or religion.

It is not a time to focus on differences, to undermine the effort and vision of this process. To undermine the magnitude of effort put forth by organizers and participants.

With the involvement of 4,190 groups from 153 countries it would only be evident there are and will be no shortage of differences. As a result there will be a variety of beliefs and ideologies.

To strengthen and unite we only need to focus on the similarities, place the differences where they belong so the process will be held with the intention and respect it deserves.

To unite on common ground with so many expected differences is exciting. I ask all to unite for common interests, to place differences correctly.

Thank you to Bishop Fred Henry for exercising your wonderful compassionate leadership.

Shame on the editorial (WCR, June 12) for promoting division, differences, fragmentation and as a result undermining this well placed big effort event. It is wrong to do such a thing in the name of religion.

Tara DeLeeuw
Bashaw

Devil cannot be more powerful than God

Donna Weston refers to the fact that Reiki has links to Eastern non-Christian religions, and is now practised on an ecumenical level. She expressed concern that those who are not Christian, that is, not one of us, will tap into something harmful when they do Reiki.

When I read this I immediately thought of the passage in the Gospels where Jesus sent out his disciples to teach and to heal, and the disciples returned and said they saw a man who was not one of them healing others, and they told him to stop.

And Jesus asked why they stopped him, saying, "Those who are not against us are for us."

Weston fears that "this is a chance for Satan to work his ways." Surely she is not implying that Satan is more powerful than God. Surely she does not believe that, when we invite goodness in, evil will come instead.

Again I am reminded of the Gospels where Jesus was accused of working through the power of the devil. For those who fear that the devil is more powerful than God, I can only say, "Oh ye of little faith."

I also think we need to remind ourselves that "by their fruits you shall know them." And what are the fruits of Reiki? Relaxation, reduction of stress, inner well-being, easing of pain, lessening of anxiety, enhanced physical healing.

Surely we don't want to limit God's activity in this world to only those who are one of us. God acts where and how he will, and while his greatest act of salvation was in and through Jesus, he is not limited to acting only in the Christian arena.

Sharon Fish states that only God can "teach the true meaning of the laying-on of hands to comfort, care and cure." Why does Fish presume that God hasn't gifted those who are doing Reiki? Why does she presume to have the right to say to whom God will give his gifts?

Reiki taps into the energy which is around us and in us, the energy which came into existence at the time of creation. And all that came into creation did so through the will of God. "And God saw that it was good."

When I place my hands on another with the intention of doing good, only good will happen. God will not be fooled or overruled by Satan.

To do Reiki is to share in God's healing. It is not the only way to share in this healing, but it is one way. Let us leave God free to act as God will.

Judy Pellerin
Reiki master/teacher
Regina, Sask.

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