Faith and knowledge are vital to wellbeing
SIR – I was saddened by the views of BillE of August 3 (Online viewpoint, John O’Groat Journal).
He was complaining about prayers at Highland Council meetings. He calls such things "primitive superstitious rites".
He wants all meetings to be decided on scientific facts "not a bunch of fairy tales long past their believe-by date" and concludes, "I guess they follow their prayer meetings with tarot card readings and horoscope castings".
This seems to me to be a mixture of prejudice and a lack of knowledge about such subjects.
There is in fact a fundamental difference between faith and superstition. Faith in God gives "confidence" in dealing with the chances and changes of life.
Superstition, on the other hand, is based on "fear" of the chances and changes of life. Tarot cards and horoscopes are part of superstition.
The scripture stories of all the great faiths are not fairy tales but attempts at explaining and understanding the mysteries of life.
It is also worth noting that all the great faiths teach humility as an important virtue for life.
There are many millions of people in this world in the great faiths who support the search for greater knowledge (science) as a requirement of their faith.
Science is the discipline of increasing man’s knowledge of the HOW? of life. Faith is helping the answer to the WHY? of
life.
It is sad to hear someone dismiss faith as superstitious rubbish because both these elements – faith and knowledge – are vital to the wellbeing of all human life.
Rev Ken Warner,
"Kilearnan",
Clayock,
Halkirk.