opinion

Our Readers Write But Why Are We Here?

To The Editor: In response to Ted Lederach's Aug. 29 letter to the editor: It is not such a controversy, this discussion of creation and evolution. Any person with any knowledge of God knows that without a creation there is no evolution, and without a Creator there is no creation. All organic life — past, present, and in the future, is from life eternal. CXu- laws of thermodynamics show us conservation of mass and energy. Science has demonstrated that there is nothing being created in the known universe at this time. Changes that affect matter and energy are occurring, but nothing is being created. How was it King Solomon recognized this some 3,000 years ago? He was inspired by God to record in the book of ecclesiastes, chapter one verse nine: "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be, and that which is done is that which shall be done, and there is no new thing under the sun." A second law of thermodynamics is the law of increasing disorder Without ever losing mass and energy, ability to produce and make a productive contribution breaks down. Scientists tell us order become disorder and all processes will cease, and if disorder continues, the universe will be dead. So we have existing mass and energy that we can measure, evaluate, cultivate, and even speculate to its origin. Applying the first law of thermodynamics we knowit was created, or if you prefer originated with all its capacities. Herbert Spencer around the turn of the century was praised for his scientific discovery that everything in the universe fits into five categories: time, force, action, space, and matter. He was absolutely right. The Lord God told Moses to record in Genesis, the first sentence in the Bible, "In the beginning (time) God (force) createdNacm tion) the heaven (space) and the earth (matter)." HOW DO WE KNOW Louis Pasteur proved anything? He has been dead for year§>We accept by faith that his documents are authentic andjby someone telling us these are his documents. We also can prove his experiments. The same way with God's inspired Word, the Bible. We accept by faith His truth and instruction and apply it to our lives. The real question should .not be where did we come from, but why are we here*'. Does Lederach think that we evolved to destroy ourselves, or overpopulate and waste the earth's resources? That would be against the so-called properties of evolution, yet that seems inevitable. We were created with the ability to reason and the faculties to construct and record, to communicate and create a habitat suitable for ourselves. WHY NOT the poor elephant? He is much larger than us with a larger brain. He requires more food, more shelter, more space, yet he cannot reason. He does not know the reason why it rains on him. and if he was here for a million more years he still would not know. Every tribe, in any place on earth, any culture or race, recognizes a supreme being. Is that part of us that evolved? The Apostle Paul, writing to the Romans in chapter one, verses 18 to 21. tell us: "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them ; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world. His

invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened." THE EARTH was created for man. Man was created to serve and be a companion to the living God. Our faith is' counted as righteousness, and our faith is tried and proven during our time on earth. We inherited a nature of sin from the disobedience of the first man in history, the story found in Genesis, chapter three. God cursed the earth and hence we have the second law of thermodynamics, disorder. God is pure and holy, and the only way we can come to God is through His Son, who through obedience even to death, took the disobedience and sins of all who put their trust in His substitutionary death. God has no beginning and no end. He is everlasting, God made a provison for those who would come to Him in faith, His only Son, Jesus Christ. WHEN THE FIRST MAN and woman took from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they became aware of their condition. They feebly tried to hide from God, and cover their nakedness with leaves sewn together God saw this and took the skin of an animal to cover them, so we have the first sacrifice of blood to cover sin. This was done by God. Unfortunately, the sin was only covered and not taken away. To bring man back to the holy qualifications of God required a holy sacrifice. Himself. Since God cannot die or shed blood, He became flesh and dwelt among us till the appointed time of the cross, on which He took the sins of everyone who would believe. Death was necessary, for if Jesus didn't die He couldn't be resurrected to eternal life again, which He did and was and thus defeated death. I would not try to convince anyone of the existence of God for money. I would try to persuade anyone to believe while there is still time. The Bible tells us God's mercy towards man will one day soon end. Then God's wrath will be poured out upon the earth. Then the Creator will be known by everyone who didn't believe, only that will be too late. I AM EVIDENCE of the mercies of God. By His grace 1 was saved from a path leading to destruction. Many of my old gang are dead or dying. Sure I had human qualities of kindness, goodness, and compassion. I felt sorry for the underprivileged, handicapped, and the suffering. Now God has opened my eyes to the spiritual needs as well. They are far greater. - So many people are deceived bjll their own wisdom, thinking they. can live the way they want, and because they know about Jesus will spend eternity in paradise. Jesus doesn't want popularity. He wants disciples to take the gospel message wherever necessary", to walk in a manner worthy of their calling. / Milton De Musz ** Cape May Court House

^Letters Welcome The Herald and Lantern welcome letters to the editor on matters of public interest. Originals, not copies, are requested. Writers must sign name, address and phone number.

f HSSin V1 PuUithed Lurry- Wrd»e«Uy By Tke Smm Corporation *-Q- Boa W Cop* May Coon Hoo— . N-J. OM1Q

Joseph R. Zelnik Bonnie Reina Gary L. RudyJohn Dunwoody Darrell Kopp

Editor General Manager Advertising Director Special Promotions Director Publisher

Seewov* Corp 1984 All rigkti received. All property rightt for ike entire contenlt ol tkit publ«otion tkoll be tke property of tke Seowove Corp. No port hereof moy be reproduced without prior wrilDEADLINES News & Photos ThursdayAdvertising Friday — 3 P.M. Classified Advertising Friday — 3 P.WT 465-5055 For News or Advertising Information /'^v Ivtcrr Totmikip m LANTERN rf , roMtokod tvrv Wednesday By Tke SootMvo Go.por«tKm 7 P.O. Box 430 Cope Moy Cowl Honoe. NJ OBtIC

^ jjj

Evolution Disproved To Hie Editor: In your letters to the editor in the Aug. 29 issue, Ted Lederach writes he will give $1,000 to anyone disproving the theory of evolution. Ted should award the money to himself since in the first paragraph of his letter he disproves it. First be states "life can only come from life". Obviously be believes that only something that is alive can reproduce and make something that is alive. Then he contradicts himself by saying "every living thing is decended from a single-called algae born in the ancient seas." > If be brieves his first statement, then how can he believe his second? If life can only come from life, then how did the original life cell appear? Complex proteins are necessary for life, but proteins come only from living organisms. So where did the originals come from? They had to be created and given a beginning. The theory of evolution is just that, a theory, and it is one that is so full of flaws that any intelligent person who takes the time to doa deep scientific study into the subject soon rejects it. The list of flaws is far too long to go into here. I have prepared a detailed scientific paper on the subject if anyone is interested. DAN KEEN, Publisher *i. Soft Horizons- Computer Magazine RD 1 Box 432 Cape May Court House, NJ 08210

-Warning to the Reader: Objectionable Story Below

By JOE ZELNIK I attended a wedding outside Columbus, Ohio, last week in which the bride was a Catholic Democrat, the groom a Protestant Republican. I'm sure the couple will live happily ever after, but, not wanting to take any chances, each instructed family members not to discuss politics, religion or abortion. That doesn't have much to do with this column except that on the plane from Philadelphia to Columbus I found a Louisville Courier-Journal in the seat and noted that it inserts this sentence between the headline and body type of some stories : "Some readers may find portions of this story objectionable." BEST AS I COULD TELL, the sentence precedes stories on sex. I'm sure the Courier-Journal has good intentions, but I'll bet a lot of people thumb through it each day just to read the stories with those warnings. We considered using similar disclaimers in the Herald and Lantern, but concluded that, if we tried to warn readers of every story they might object to, the only ones left would be church notices. With that wedding in mind, I guess even some of those could offend somebody ^ attempts at humor, for example, can be very offensive, as I know better than anyone else. One cf my first columns here said something smart about New Jersey Bell. Two of Its executives then visited me for an hour. I've resorted to usually making fun of myself. Even that makes some people mad. I've been shocked to find bow many local journalists have no sense of humor. This is unheard of in Pennsylvania, where reporters are always laughing. (That may be because they made more* money.) I've investigated this local phenomenon and found it is the result of a virus caught from too close contact with the political establishment.

Most politicians, of course, have no sense of humor. That's because they take their jobs seriously. If they took them lightly, as their constituents do, they'd be much better off. PRESIDENT REAGAN' is a pleasant exception to the up-tight politician. Everyone knows his gleeful joke about bombing the Soviet Union. My favorite Reagan joke was on Labor Day when he pledged his administration would see to it there was a job "n» the home of every American." I thought that was hilarious, but I understand Phil Matalucci is concerned the threat of year-round jobs for everyone could cost Reagan the county in November. This newspaper may do extensive research to learn what it can report that will not be objectionable to anyone. 1 should point out that we spend at least 10 percent of our annual circulation revenue on market research. I myself am always polling. In my latest survey, for example, I found: ( SIXTEEN PERCENT of the people who sing "On the Way to Cape May" have never been to CapeNVtay. Eighty-one percent of the people who have teen to Cape May never returned because they couldn't find fLplace to park the first time. Only 27 percent of the people who sing "Stone Htb$or, I'll Always Love You," really do. The other 73 percent just like it a lot. 1 Incidentally, on any given night in Henny's in -season, only 32 percent of the people singing that song know the fourth line: "N is for King Neptune; he is living there." In truth, King Neptune doesn't live m_Stone Harbor anymore. He couldn't afford it an(KmovaI to West WQdwood. \ FINALLY, a poll of the customers in Henny's found that 14 percent thought they were in Hahn's. 7 "What ever happened to Hahn's?" was the most-asked question on Seven-Mile Beach this summer. Second was "Where's Buddy Murray?" And third, whined bj people who stopped at one of the roadside produce standson Stone Harbor Boulevard — "HOW MUCH!?"