The Mail

Your “Scripture Scoop” feature titled “What Is Social Sin?” (January-February 2023) caught my attention and was thought-provoking. I looked at the recommended Scripture readings, Amos 8:4–6 and Micah 7:1–7, and interpreted that social sin is society’s oppression and cheating of the poor, with the poor’s eventual enslavement. This is predicted to be followed by God allowing society to deteriorate into mistrust. I had difficulty identifying with this overt social behavior, but I can identify with the behavior of the scribes and Pharisees called out by Jesus’ assessment in Matthew 23:4 “They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others, but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them.” In this regard, our society seems to tell a man and woman when they have a child, “That is your child, you take care of it.” We should acknowledge that the child is society’s child as well, and we as a society should participate in taking care of the person. I will be pigeonholed as a “big government” advocate, but maybe we could advocate a government program to pay all mothers a stipend to raise their children for society, acknowledging that the children also belong to society. This would help those mothers considering an abortion simply because they cannot afford to raise the child and incentivize them to undergo the pain of carrying the child to term. I think [the program] should include all mothers so that the burden of proof of need resides only in the documented pregnancy. Thank you for the “Scripture Scoop” feature, and keep up the thought-provoking work.

Steve S., Ohio

I thought the article “Tips for Teen Drivers” (January-February 2023) overall was well-written. Having worked in this area for many years, I saw two items that I would comment on.

I don’t know that I would suggest donating child car seats and booster seats. Many times these seats are out-of-date and don’t meet current standards or could be damaged. This is not what someone should be putting their children in. In addition, there are programs through [governmental] traffic safety departments that provide free or low-cost seats to those in need of child seats and boosters, as well as checkpoints where families can get certified technicians to make sure the seats are properly installed. 

The article covers buckling up, slowing down, and distracted driving (GREAT!) but doesn’t mention impaired driving (alcohol or drugs). This is one of the top causes of death in vehicle crashes! Those impaired should not get behind the wheel under any circumstance. 

Anonymous

The “Plain Talk” article by Bishop Bruce Lewandowski in March-April 2023 was thought-provoking. [Dehumanizing] is what the Nazis did to the Jews to justify their genocide. However, some crimes are so horrific that the perpetrator dehumanizes himself. In those cases, I believe, a humanely administered form of capital punishment is justified.

Chester G., Connecticut