Editor, Daily Nexus:

I am responding to a column concerning the killing of Matthew Shepard by two young men (Daily Nexus, “Bible Pervades Society, Preaches Unholy Message,” Jan. 12). I am not some crazed religious fanatic with an ax to grind; I am a believer and follower of Jesus Christ. I do believe in the Bible and want to clarify a few things. I firmly believe that everyone has the right to think and choose for himself or herself, this being the free agency that is given to all.

First, it is interesting to me that the information used to put down the Bible was obtained by a program on MTV. I can’t be the only one who finds that scary. I read that the author of this letter is an undeclared freshman. I will assume that they have had a science class or two in their educational history and realize that scientific research involves taking a small amount of “known information” and carrying it a step farther into the unknown. If this were not the case, nothing new would ever come from research. According to you, a person must understand everything about an action before it is made. In the article, it is put this way, “…[Christians] rationalize the paradox in some way, such as assuming that [God’s] ultimate and perfect plan is somehow outside their capabilities of comprehension as humans.” So, it is silly to follow a plan or a scientific theory if we do not first understand everything about that plan?

I am not going to try to validate or explain the Bible passage the author quoted. The problem I have comes from the general theme of the article. Do you have any idea the arrogance it takes to assume that any believer of the Bible is just some brainwashed drone? The majority of us silly Christians do not spend our time killing homosexuals. The majority of us are all around you in everyday life. We drive children to school, perform surgery, run restaurants and live everyday normal lives. Please tell me that the author does not believe that us Christians all sit around singing songs and cheering hate crimes. I am sure the author would scream and shout for a rock ‘n’ roll star’s First Amendment right to sing music that directly praises murder and rape, yet almost in the same breath condemn the evil Bible for sending messages to the youth of America. Maybe more time should be spent reading and investigating instead of swallowing the masses of produced “news” found on networks such as MTV.

I am not saying that everyone must believe or they will go to hell. I am saying that before you pat yourself on the back for sticking it to us believers, you should read a little, talk to some of us. Find out why we believe in God. Find out why young men acted out of ignorance and killed someone. Don’t be guilty of the same ignorance and alienate a large part of the population.

STEVEN BOYLE