Letters to the editor – 1/21/15
Makes you think
How tough it must be to keep one’s column fresh on a regular basis. Yet Jay Sakashita’s writing continues to be interesting, informative and often hilarious. I broke out chuckling at his Jan. 7 reflection on published “obituaries” (as well as most eulogies): “only the kindest, warmest, best-smiling people die.”
I hope Mr. Sakashita knows he has fans out here, as he sometimes treads gingerly, and sometimes not, through the multi-religion minefield. Keep those columns coming. They challenge people to think and consider others’ beliefs.
Lt. Col. Rick Douglas,
USAF Ret. Pacific Heights
World religions
What a breath of fresh air Jay Sakashita’s Misfit Spirit column is! I tend to skip over anything with a religious connotation because, quite frankly, I am tired of it. I just assumed his column was more of a mini midweek sermon aimed at the mostly Christian population, and therefore never gave it a chance — until I saw this sentence a few weeks ago:
“Jesus is not the reason for the season.”
Whoa! I thought to myself, what do we have here?
To make my story short, I was raised Christian, but the whole concept never felt quite right to me, even as a kid.
When I went out on my own as an adult in the military, I was exposed to much, much more than my small hometown could provide, including people practicing all kinds of different religions that I had only read about. I remember seeing a Muslim service being held in a military chapel when I was right out of basic training — the same chapel that hosted Protestant Christian services. The shock! The horror! I thought it was odd enough to see back-to-back Catholic and Protestant services, let alone Islamic.
I traveled the world and noticed a trend. Every religious culture existing in every country I went to all believed they had it all figured out and theirs was the only “right” way. And, if challenged, most members of a religious culture tended to strike back with venom, harsh criticism and sometimes just flat-out hate, Very few people are open to any kind of discussion about pros and cons of their religion.
I am so surprised that someone has the courage to write these things and that MidWeek has the courage to print his column.
By the way, MidWeek is a great paper, and I thoroughly enjoy getting and reading it each week. I love the “full spectrum” MidWeek provides, from Pat Buchanan to Bob Jones to Bruce Cameron to Ron Nagasawa.
Jim Cummins
Hickam AFB
Send your letters to dchapman@midweek.com.
Please include your name, address and daytime and evening phone numbers. Letters may be edited for clarity and space.
