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6A – Daily News – Thursday, January 20, 2011 Opinion D NEWSAILY RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N T Y S I N C E 1 8 8 5 Christianity or evolution Editor: Greg Stevens, Publisher gstevens@redbluffdailynews.com Chip Thompson, Editor editor@redbluffdailynews.com Editorial policy The Daily News opinion is expressed in the editorial. The opinions expressed in columns, letters and cartoons are those of the authors and artists. Letter policy The Daily News welcomes let- ters from its readers on timely topics of public interest. All let- ters must be signed and pro- vide the writer’s home street address and home phone num- ber. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and cannot exceed two double-spaced pages or 500 words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section of those submit- ted will be considered for publi- cation. Letters will be edited. Letters are published at the discretion of the editor. Mission Statement We believe that a strong com- munity newspaper is essential to a strong community, creating citizens who are better informed and more involved. The Daily News will be the indispensible guide to life and living in Tehama County. We will be the premier provider of local news, information and advertising through our daily newspaper, online edition and other print and Internet vehi- cles. The Daily News will reflect and support the unique identities of Tehama County and its cities; record the history of its com- munities and their people and make a positive difference in the quality of life for the resi- dents and businesses of Tehama County. How to reach us Main office: 527-2151 Classified: 527-2151 Circulation: 527-2151 News tips: 527-2153 Sports: 527-2153 Obituaries: 527-2151 Photo: 527-2153 On the Web www.redbluffdailynews.com Fax Newsroom: 527-9251 Classified: 527-5774 Retail Adv.: 527-5774 Legal Adv.: 527-5774 Business Office: 527-3719 Address 545 Diamond Ave. Red Bluff, CA 96080, or P.O. Box 220 Red Bluff, CA 96080 In response to Evan Hinton’s letter of Jan. 11, his letter, too, has inspired me to speak. Having read his response and those that have come since, I see a confusion that I have observed developing for years. The con- fusion is that people profess Christianity, then at the same time the belief in evolutional theory. But if you know the Truths of Christianity found in the Bible, you would see that they are irreconcilably opposed. Either God created man is true, or evolutionists’ belief that time and chance have placed us here by accident is true. People are just not studying the whole of the bible any longer to know what is taught therein. The reason for my writing is not to debate evolution here. I have listened to many good men with doctorates in the sciences, from ministries dedicated to the defense of Creationism, who have well disproved evolutionist claims with the Bible and sci- ence. The fossil record and the missing links, the existence of monkeys and man existing together without intermediate or transitional forms of the two continue to be proof against evolution. The fact that billions of years of incredible change have occurred without a Designer giving the necessary informa- tion for those changes is not at all science that has been proved. But my real concern is with Mr. Hinton’s statement that “the theory of evolution does not preclude the teachings of Jesus.” The belief in evolution is direct- ly in conflict with the person and teachings of Jesus, who said, “God created them male and female.” Evolutional think- ing disagrees with this and the whole of the first two chapters of Genesis, not to mention innu- merable other texts throughout the whole Bible, way too many to list here. To believe in evolution is to say that each text crediting God with creation is wrong. That would be calling God a liar, directly or indirectly. The reli- gious heart of evolution is to disprove the existence of God, which atheists have set about to do. As a Christian and a pastor I am faced with this confusion constantly, and purpose to teach God’s truth from His Word the Bible. Though the Bible is not written to teach science, it is sci- entifically accurate. As for me, I choose to place my faith in God and not in secular, humanistic science. Gilbert DeLaO, Jr., Red Bluff Evolution letters Editor: As the Pastor of Gateway Baptist Church, I have been fol- lowing the letters involving the evolution debate that has been ongoing the last few days. I paid particular attention to the letter published Jan. 12 by Mr. Evan Hinton of Red Bluff. As a Bible-believing Christ- ian I would first like to say that I disagree with evolution and whole-heartedly believe in the Biblical account of creation. With that being said I would like to applaud Mr. Hinton's let- ter for the spirit in which it was written. Although I disagree with his position, I find it refreshing that the letter was written in a kind way stating his opinion without demeaning the opin- ion of another. I wish all letters to the editor were written without the angry contention and insulting nature that Mr. Hinton did not include. thereof, he cannot be considered in scientific observation. Thus, the scientist will always inter- pret the evidence towards evolu- tion. Your Turn There are many different issues that this situation has brought up that should be debat- ed. Does a parent have a right to be involved and have some say in their child's education? What does the First Amendment actu- ally tell us and what was the original intent of our founding fathers by placing it in the con- stitution? What is the proper way to go about disagreements with your child's school? Should evolution have a monopoly on scientific teaching in public schools or should dif- ferent ideas and theories be rep- resented so students can be truly well-rounded in their educa- tion? These are issues that should not be lost in the debate of evolution vs. creationism because they effect our lives so much more. The debate will never be set- tled. To the scientist or human- ist, God cannot be considered in scientific theory because scien- tific theory must be testable and compatible with natural law. Since God cannot be tested sci- entifically and since He works outside the realm of natural law and is not bound by the rules To a Bible-believing Christ- ian, God must be considered in the scientific process and there- fore will always inter- pret the evidence avail- able towards creation- ism. I know many will say that there is no evi- dence that supports creationism but that is because science does not allow it to be brought up because they will not consider God in the process. Has any evolutionist out there ever read a book about the scientific support for creation- ism or a different view of inter- preting the available evidence? Have they ever looked at anoth- er way to interpret the fossil record and other evidence of man's origins through any other possibility other than evolution? Or have they simply gathered facts not to determine their belief but only to support the belief? After growing up in a pub- lic school, attending a state university and Bible college, reading and hearing teachings on both sides of the subject, I have come to the conclusion that I believe that God made man in His image according to the Biblical account of cre- ation. I also thank the Lord that I live in a great country that allows others to disagree with me. I hope that when we do disagree, we can take a page from Mr. Hinton and do it in a kind way. Jeff Eldred, Red Bluff Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Jim Nielsen (R) State Capitol Bldg., Room 6031 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 319-2002; Fax (916) 319-2102 STATE SENATOR — Doug LaMalfa (R) State Capitol Bldg., Room 3063 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 651-4004; Fax (916) 445-7750 GOVERNOR — Jerry Brown, State Capitol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 445-2841; Fax (916) 558-3160; E-mail: gover- nor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE — Wally Herger (R), 2635 Forest Ave. Ste. 100, Chico, CA 95928; 893-8363. U.S.SENATORS — Dianne Feinstein (D), One Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94104; (415) 393-0707. Fax (415) 393-0710. Barbara Boxer (D), 1700 Montgomery St., Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94111; (415) 403-0100. Fax (202) 224- 0454. Has The American Dream drifted north? Commentary Imagine a handsome young family complete with kids living in a stylish two-story home in a quiet neighborhood. The parents work quiet middle-class jobs. Dad is a city bus driver. Mom is a secretary. Their house is brimming with con- sumer goods: a couple of mam- moth-sized televisions, a drum set for the kids and high-end furniture. Mom’s closet is bursting with her ample wardrobe. Dad has a motor- cycle. Combined they make just under $90,000 a year. They are being featured on a show running on CNBC, now in its ninth season called Til Debt Do We Part. And like most people on tele- vision shows, they have a problem and they need to go on television to fix it. Apparently Mom and Dad have been heavy-handed with their credit cards. They owe $60,000. The matronly host Gail Vaz- Oxlade gently lays down the law: They have to live within their means. Pay down credit cards. Pay into a savings account. Save for their children’s education. The message this self-proclaimed Dol- lar Diva has for the couple is they are drifting apart and debt is the culprit. Gail puts up on the screen the family’s budget, what they spend on whatnot a month. Their housing expenses for their posh suburban home are a reasonable sum. Their transportation costs are relatively low. Dad has to sell the motorcy- cle. Mom has to spend less on clothes. The parents need to spend more time with each other. All problems are then solved. While watching this program I was amazed at the lack of grit for a reality show. This is no Hoarders airing dirty laundry and years worth of neglect and filth. This is a couple with a standard of living far better than any I’ve ever seen for what they do for a living. It’s like they’re Alice and I’m the one Through the Looking Glass. Then Gail handed the couple a wad of bills to illustrate they were going to be paying for things in cash from now on. The money? Canadian. These are Canadians. Their budget is manageable for one because they’ve chosen to not buy supplemental insurance and rely on the government to provide all of their health care. This couple and most of the couples on the show don’t pay for health care out of their family bud- gets. The average family in Amer- ica spends around $15,000 a year or around 22 percent of their income on health care. That amount will apparently pay most of a mortgage on an enviable home in the greater Toronto area. Most notable, the show doesn’t delve into any sob stories about get- ting diseases and there- fore having debt. There are no staples of the only- in-America saga of los- ing your health, then your health care and then your house (there’s a fix to this in the Affordable Care Act AKA Oba- macare that has yet to go into effect). The debt is all from spending money on things they want. Simply because they want them. Which makes these spendthrift Canadians seem more American than Americans. It’s the way Americans want to see ourselves; careless, reck- less, Wild West, rogue spenders buying everything because we can. Buying is our birthright. It’s freedom. Freedom of a free mar- ket – which makes even a 33 per- cent APR sound liberating. Of Tina Dupuy course we’re more along the lines of Walmart sharecroppers, com- pletely at the mercy of colossal businesses with fewer choices and even less power muttering to ourselves that at least we aren’t slaves. It’s the land of the free. Someone told us so. Are Canadians living the American Dream? When did Canadi- ans out Norman Rock- well us? From the per- spective of my couch they seem to be living very well with the evils of socialism. Canada consistently outranks us in quality of care and that impacts our quality of life. They have lots of guns and low gun violence. Their banks didn’t cause a housing bust so their economy is comparatively doing fine. Plus, call me paranoid, but I think they’re looking down on us. Tina Dupuy is an award-winning writer and fill-in host at The Young Turks. Tina can be reached at tinadupuy@yahoo.com.