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Letters to the editor

Duckwalls is a favorite


To the Editor:

A letter in last week's newspaper reminded me of my granddaughter, age 25, in Oklahoma. Duckwall's was her favorite "thing to do" when she would come for a visit. Even now once in a while she'll ask if Duckwall's is still here. I hope I never have to tell her "no."

Luke Siebert

Marion

In sad shape


To the Editor:

A friend and I went to Central Park the other day, and we were appalled at how badly the Brooker Springs looked. There is absolutely no bark chips left in the area, huge boulders have been moved around and pushed into the water. It appears bicyclists have been riding through the bushes, etc., and using the boulders to jump over, and whatever else they do on their bikes today.

Skateboarders are doing their share of damage to the park, too. What a shame that some of the young people in our community do not respect public property. Marion has such a beautiful park and it is maintained very well by Don Hess. He spends countless hours cleaning up after careless and uncaring people. Apparently, the parents of these children have not taught them anything about taking care of public facilities that are here for everyone's use.

I feel badly that the family, formerly from Marion, thought so much of our Central Park to leave a substantial sum of money for the development of the springs, and then to have it abused and nearly destroyed.

The city had to remove the gas lights on the trail in the park because the lights were constantly being broken. The same goes for the timbers that outlined the trail — a lot of them were being thrown into the river. The nets on the basketball goals also are being cut off. I understand some children are riding up and down on the basketball goals, using the height adjustment mechanism; and a plaque identifying one of the memorials was removed and thrown into nearby bushes. The restrooms are constantly being vandalized. Can't children have fun today without destroying everything in sight?

I've come to the conclusion that if we, the community, don't get better control of some of these youths who vandalize and have no respect for public property, no one will want to donate funds toward anything in this community. It will only be wasted.

City funds and labor should be better used than having to make repairs caused by vandalism. What can be done to protect and maintain our public facilities? Any suggestions?

Eloise Mueller

Marion

Keep marriage pure

To The Editor:

I have read with interest the thoughts that have been expressed on the subject of marriage between one man and one woman.

About 3,900 years ago there were five cities named Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Zoar that embraced the homosexual lifestyle. Lot and his daughters fled to Zoar and therefore Zoar was spared from destruction, but the four cities and the very productive grassland were destroyed.

Hebrews 13:4 states "Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed be kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral."

Could it be that Jesus will soon be coming for his bride?

Leonard Klassen

Marion

Another view

To The Editor:

By the time you read this letter the vote on the marriage amendment will be over; however Jane Vajnar's and others' opposition to the marriage amendment demand a response. I would first like to point out where I agree with Jane. I agree that the Bible teaches that those who are in a valid marriage divorce and remarry are committing adultery. I also agree that many Christians do not live their faith. It brings to mind a chapter of C.S. Lewis' book "The Screwtape Letters." In the book the apprentice devil on earth is trying to win the soul of a man on earth. He writes to his Uncle Screwtape in hell that he almost has won the soul of the man and he is about to leave the church. Screwtape writes back angrily, "You fool, you fool, leave him in the church lukewarm, where he can do the most damage."

Even though some of us are poor examples, it does not change the truth of Christ's teachings and dishonors those who live and cherish their faith. Jane might be right if the main reason for marriage was pleasure. The Bible teaches the two main reasons for marriage are for the spouses to get each other to Heaven and procreation. God also attached pleasure to those things which He desires for us to sustain life, such as eating, drinking, and sexual union. However when these gifts are used outside God's design they become sinful.

As for Jane's contention that the Bible does not teach against homosexual marriage I couldn't disagree more. The Bible says in the last chapter of John that all that Jesus said and taught are not recorded here. Jesus never taught that abortion was wrong and some use this as an excuse to kill the unborn. We know this is murder from the natural law. We have teachings in the Bible that are explicit and those that are implied. Jesus teaches us what marriage is. Christ doesn't teach what it isn't. In doing so He condemns that which it is not.

In Ephesians 5:25 St. Paul says husbands love your wives as Christ loved the Church. How did Christ love the Church? He did it by suffering and dying for His holy bride. His love was given freely, faithfully, totally, and fruitfully. He also came to serve and not to be served. St. Paul also says in Eph. 5:31 that two shall become one flesh. In Genesis 1:27-28 the Bible says God created them male and female and told them to be fruitful and multiply. In no way can homosexual unions mirror these images of marriage.

The bigger question is the question of truth. Should you conform to your religion or should your religion conform to you? We only have to go back 75 years when the divorce rate was very low and all Christian denominations taught that contraception, abortion, and homosexual acts were sinful. One by one they began to give in to the culture of death. Contraception was a personal choice even though most forms of contraception can kill a conceived child in the first nine days of life. Then along came Roe vs. Wade. After all we had to have a way to kill the baby if the contraception failed. The culture of death promised us sexual freedom from outdated morals but instead enslaved us. Those that sin become the slave of sin, John 8:34. The fact that we have gotten to the point of having to define marriage would have been unthinkable only a generation ago.

A nation is only as strong as its families. Must we embrace the culture of death that has led to skyrocketing divorce rates, 4,000 abortions a day, and the shattered lives that accompany these tragedies? The devil sits atop the entrance gate to our towns and cities growing fat, so little to do these days.

Jane, do you think that because we can repeal the natural law and allow homosexual marriage it somehow gives validity to these unions? If we also repealed the law of gravity would you also jump off a tall building? I also know homosexuals and I count some among my friends but do we need to undo 2,000 years of tradition and legitimize their immorality?

Ron Jirak

Tampa

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