Readers write

We welcome your comments and publish most letters sent by subscribers intended for publication. Respecting our theology of the priesthood of all believers and of the importance of the faith community discernment process, this section is a largely open forum for the sharing of views. Letters are the opinion of the writer only- publication does not mean endorsement by the magazine or the church. Letters should be brief and address issues rather than individuals.

Please send letters to be considered for publication to letters@canadianmennonite.org or by postal mail or fax, marked "Attn: Readers Write" (our address is on page 3). Letters should include the author's contact information and mailing address. Letters are edited for length, style and adherence to editorial guidelines.

Focus on godliness . . . and dress accordingly

REGARDING THE LETTERS, June 23, page 8 ("Girls and women must learn to dress modestiy, for Jesus' sake," and "What women wear isn't important to Jesus, and shouldn't be to men either"), the first letter took a positive stance on modesty for women- good - but the otiier one left me feeling discouraged.

As a child, I learned that the instructions in I Timothy 2:8-9 for men ("lift up holy hands without anger or argument^) and women ("to dress themselves modestly and decently in suitable clothing) related to what was most naturally the tendency for men and women, respectively.

It is extremely rare to see men dressed immodesdy. Are women trying to get men's attention- asking to be seen as persons- regardless of their attire?

As Christians, we need to be prepared to focus on godliness, and the resultant good works, to "pray without ceasingf and to dress accordingly.

EUNICE YANTZI, TORONTO

Bankrupt morality lets the rich off the hook for climate change

IT'S REGRETTABLE THAT Paul Fiegutii's articles on consumption can be so misinterpreted, as they were in the Sept. 1 letter, "Population control the only way to environmental sustainabilityT page 8.

The root causes of untrammelled population increase have been definitively linked to poverty and the lack of opportunity to provide for the necessities of life for more than two centuries, beginning with Malthus, yet still there are those who say that the 2.3 billion poor who live on less than $2 a day must now somehow find ways to provide for contraception as well as food, medical care and rent, after being kicked offtheir land. If only it were that easy.

Obviously it is, to some at least. When the best argument that can be mustered against changing our own wealtiiy lifestyle - one in which 99 percent of all that is manufactured or created in this country ends up in the dump within six months - is that we've paid our dues, then I suggest our morality is bankrupt. When the United Nations Development Program demonstrates mat the wealtiiiest 20 percent of the world's people consumes 86 percent of the world's private goods, while the poorest 20 percent consumes only 1.5 percent, it becomes quite apparent who God will ask much of.

It won't be the poor; they don't have anything. Fiegutii's arguments rested on the assumption that everyone knew the facts about the linkage between poverty and population. It appears that perhaps he assumed too much. That's our shame, not his.

ANDRE PEKOVICH, VANCOUVER, B.C.

If allowed, homosexuals would 'push' their views on others

RE: "CHURCH OPPOSES Jesus and Paul when it denies homosexual acceptance" letter by John Klassen, Sept. 15, page 15.

Why does the church not allow gays and lesbians to preach or teach in church? It is because, if they were, they would push their beliefs on others.

Do we believe that all Scripture is inspiration from God? If so, Genesis 1:27 states that God made men and women, who were to become one flesh and multiply. Genesis 18 and 19 recount the tale of Sodom and Gomorrah, where God did not find one righteous person. Leviticus 18:22 says it is an abomination for men to have sex with men. Romans 1:26-28 states that women and men gave up the natural use of their bothes and God gave up on them. Finally, II Thessalonians 3:15 says we are to admonish wrongdoers as brothers.

PETER REMPEL, ROSTHERN, SASK.

Time for church to put the homosexual issue behind it

I READ THE "Postcard Project sends controversial letters on homosexuality" article (June 23, page 12) with interest.

I had heard mat there had been letters sent to congregations without the approval or consent of the Mennonite Church Canada executive. This shows me that those involved in the Postcard Project intend to push their agenda at any cost, including the disruption of conference sessions.

I Corinthians 6:9-10 is very clear about who will not inherit the kingdom of God. It warns the church not to be deceived about such sins. This is not just a resolution passed by MC Canada. Rather, this is God's list of unacceptable human behaviour.

To my mind, there has already been too much discussion, discernment, listening, debates and, most distressing, divisiveness in the church. Let's close the book on this topic. God has said, "Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God?"

DICK HILDEBRANDT, BLACK CREEK, B.C.

Plainness in Mennonite worship spaces advocated

WHEN I READ the article "More than a visiting chamber," Sept. 29, page 16, it brought to mind the time I showed a Cadiolic friend around our sanctuary on a weekday evening. He was quiet until he finally said, "It's very . . . plain." It was obviously an underwhelming experience for him.

What I explained to my friend is that Mennonites have emphasized that God is encountered in the garnered group of believers. A church is a meetinghouse. God is present wherever we meet, it doesn't matter where.

I doubt that the artist is "introducing reverence and awe to Bethel Mennonite." Reverence - or awe and respect for God- is undoubtedly present in that group of believers whenever they gather for worship. Does reverence require silence?

I feel reverence in quietness and in the rousing singing of a hymn. I also experience reverence in the loud and sometimes chaotic pre- and post-service visiting in my congregation. I see people interacting and caring for each other and welcoming newcomers. The community in action is something beautiful.

Mennonite worship is not just about what is happening between me and God and my Bible, it's about being together and loving each other. Especially in our context, where people live far apart, the church is a meetinghouse.

I am all for reverence-inspiring beauty in the sanctuary, and I welcome the contributions of artists of all kinds to our meetinghouses. I am thankful for my church's altar committee that brings beauty into the sanctuary every week. As a denomination, architecturally we have, and continue to create, beautiful sanctuaries.

Yet I find I am still an advocate for plainness in our worship spaces. The plainness itself places the community in bold relief. How beautiful can we be when God is here?

CAROL PENNER, VINELAND, ONT.

Farmer questions the righteousness of 100 Mile Diet, organic farming

DURING THE LAST few years at least two significant emphases involving agriculture and food have gained appreciable support from the public, including Mennonite Church Canada adherents. Two issues often championed are the 100 Mile Diet and organic farming. I must be missing something in both of these emphases.

The way I understand the 100 Mile Diet is that it promotes buying and consuming only, or mostly, food that is produced within 100 miles of our habitation. That sounds appealing at first glance. However, where does that leave the family farm operation that I am involved with? If we are only to purchase food produced within 100 miles of home, does it not logically follow that, as a producer of raw food products, I should only sell those products within 100 miles of my home?

Saskatchewan produces much more food than can be consumed in our province. The same applies to most of the rest of Canada. If the 100 Mile Diet is held up as the only sustainable option, then no food products would be exported to the rest of the world. None of my wheat, canola or peas would be able to find their way to the hungry people of Somalia or elsewhere.

Organic farming, likewise, raises concerns. Depending on the crops chosen, and the particular crop rotation followed, Saskatchewan Crop Insurance data suggests that an acre of organically produced field crops only produces between half and 85 percent as much grain as conventionally grown field crops.

If there was a wholesale shift to organic farming worldwide, there would be a drastic shortage of food in the world. Millions of additional humans would be driven to starvation. Is it the righteous thing to champion producing organic foods while letting a major portion of the human population starve, when sufficient foods can be grown that are just as wholesome and healthy when produced with the prudent use of fertilizers and chemicals?

TONY FUNK, HAGUE, SASK.