Christians’ God hasn’t made everything peachy

In response to a writer’s baffling statements (WHT letters, July 4) “Hawaii is full of Christians and churches,” and that she doesn’t understand why Hawaiians still stick with a pagan god, Pele. She concludes that “There was a (Hawaiian pagan) blessing for the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope and we all know how that turned out.”

I’d like to point out that the world is full of Christians who have prayed to their god for world peace for centuries and we all know how that turned out!

Likeke Bumanglag

Kailua-Kona

GOP changed laws rather than debate

I applaud Mikie Kerr for her intent with the Constitutional Corner. My main objection is when she gets on her right wing soapbox and injects her own biased and personal interpretations.

I’m not trying to win the debate by stopping the debate entirely. What Mikie fails to see is that the GOP has stopped debating years ago when the tea party extremist side of the GOP took power in the GOP. Their position was that they would not listen and that they would go so far as to shut down the government in order to get their way or nothing at all. We just want the debate to begin again. There is some fault on both sides but with the current GOP Congress there is an attitude of, if we can’t get our way then we will just change the rules so that we can get our way.

The argument that we do not want to continue the debate is as far from the truth as you can get. I appreciate that she feel my argument is well thought out, however, her conclusion that the GOP is not trying to end the rule of law but enforce it is not actually true.

DACA is not a law but considered a policy. It is a guide to the interpretation and enforcement of the law to address the fact that laws do not address every aspect of what they were intended to do. In this case children who through no fault of their own have grown to adults in the USA, if they were deported they would be strangers in a strange land that they do not remember, may no longer speak the language or follow the same customs. It was about a way to interpret the law in a more humane manner. It is also is viewed as a way to prioritize enforcement and use the resources available to deport those who are considered more dangerous.

Ending the rule of law. Here are a few examples. Merick Garland. The GOP goes against existing traditions and methods in order to deny Obama a choice for the Supreme Court. Obstruction of any laws or policies that Obama wanted to pass.

But the far more egregious actions by the GOP is the gerrymandering of voting districts to maintain power in states where the GOP is a minority. Passing of voter registration laws that target those groups that traditionally vote for Democrats. What they have been doing with these laws is in direct violation of the Voting Rights Act and are constitutionally illegal. When challenged, these laws have been found to be illegal and states have had to abolish these laws and or redraw district lines.

John Pierce

Waikoloa

Pele, God, it doesn’t have to be either/or

The ongoing volcanic eruptions on Hawaii Island are without a doubt serious. Serious in that it is impacting life, and not just human life but all life. However, I don’t think we, as the only mammals who have evolved beyond our own instincts, should superimpose our cultural, religious or superstitious beliefs on one another in an attempt to explain what is happening.

First to Elizabeth Purse, who wrote, “Hawaii is full of Christians and churches. I don’t understand why they still stick with a pagan god, Pele.” Second to Leningrad Elarionoff, who wrote, “Pele was fiction, a mythical explanation for a phenomenon that existed with no understandable explanation.”

I submit that both are correct, Elizabeth doesn’t understand and hasn’t made an effort to understand that believing in Pele does not contradict believing in Christ. It’s not one or the other.

Fictions in a literary sense are made up stories. Pele is not fiction in the sense that the lava spreading over the Puna landscape is not made up, not fiction. Perhaps our oli do not satisfactorily tell the story but I wouldn’t go so far as to say Pele was fiction.

I was raised to be a devout Catholic and I still believe in the goodness of its doctrine. I don’t ever recall reading a passage where the apostles, saints, prophets, angels or god had anything to say about believing or not believing in an apostle, saint, prophet, angels or God himself dwelling within the fiery pits of tutu Pele. Is that not possible or maybe even a miracle? Perhaps Pele is an angel of God.

Factually and scientifically, the subdivisions in the lower Puna area are all subject to volcanic activity and in hindsight should have never been permitted. Rather than debate whether Jesus or Pele should be our reality, all of us should be taking a deep dive on where this county goes with regard to further population growth.

Puna has been the fastest growing district on the island and probably the state. The Hawaii County General Plan forecasts that ongoing growth. Whether you believe in Christ or Pele, you have all been sent a portent.

Charles Young

Honaunau