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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>Thanks, Bill, for sharing this – the crazy notion that religion
is “good” only as long as it’s a particular “flavor”
has plagued this community for far too long.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>I suppose I’d be too Pollyannaesque to hope such
pathetically narrow vision might change with the New Year . . . <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Saundra
Lund<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Moscow,
ID<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>This
is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for
complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the
philosophy is kindness.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>~
Dalai Lama<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>***** Original material contained herein is Copyright 2009
through life plus 70 years, Saundra Lund. Do not copy, forward, excerpt,
or reproduce outside the Vision 2020 forum without the express written
permission of the author.*****<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>
vision2020-bounces@moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces@moscow.com] <b>On
Behalf Of </b>Bill London<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Monday, December 28, 2009 11:13 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> vision2020@secure.fsr.com<br>
<b>Subject:</b> [Vision2020] great letter to the editor<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class=storybody><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>This
letter to the editor (below) was published in the Daily News on December 25,
2009. Perhaps you were busy that day and missed it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=storybody><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>The
message is right on.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=storybody><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>BL<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=storybody><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=storybody><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>-------------------------------
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=storybody><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Last
night I attended the Lena Whitmore Concert and found it to be a wonderful and
uplifting experience - that was until the end when the parents' complaints
emerged while waiting to collect their kids. It seems the "Good
Christians" in our community considered themselves persecuted because they
had to listen to a couple of songs not dedicated to Christ's birth.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=storybody><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>There
were 15 songs last night; eight were Christmas songs, 53 percent. There was one
song for Hanukkah, representing 7 percent of the program, and one for Kwanza
for another 7 percent. The remaining 33 percent of the songs were secular and
nonreligious. It seems that the Christians in our community have defined
persecution as getting your way most of the time. Apparently they think they
need to get their way all of the time.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=storybody><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>I
would like to take this opportunity to remind Christians they do not have
exclusive rights to the month of December. In addition to Christmas, December
is graced with Hanukkah, Kwanza, Bodhi Day, the Islamic New Year, Ashura, Yule,
the Pancha Ganapati Festival and Hijra. Yet the Hindis, Buddhists, Pagans and
Muslims do not claim persecution when none of their songs grace the elementary
school program, despite having children of these faiths in the school.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=storybody><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>So
while Christians are singing "Peace on Earth, good will to men," they
are readily engaged in religious sniping, ensuring that good will is only
offered to Christian men. If Christians think they are being persecuted and
lament the trials of getting your way most of the time, you should try not
being Christian; perhaps then you would truly know what the face of persecution
looks like. For many, persecution is found on a Christian face. Is it no wonder
then, that so many are choosing not to be Christians?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=storybody><strong><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Khaliela
Wright</span></strong><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>,
Moscow<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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