Dear Editor,
It is distressing to read Pastor Cotton’s tirade against Popes. Pastor Cotton is entitled to his beliefs and Roman Catholics are entitled to theirs. The Christian religions would be more effective if they stood united rather than divided. They could begin by reminding world leaders to observe the commandment; Thou shalt not kill.
I spent the first twenty-five years of my life in Ireland and witnessed lots of religious bigotry. Pastor Cotton’s church has been a positive contributor to our community, but quoting scripture to prove a point raises questions concerning context and interpretation.
In Ireland many Protestants knew the Catholics were mistaken, whereas many Catholics knew that it was the Protestants who had it wrong. I was raised Protestant, but, like many people in the South of Ireland, had friends and relatives of both Catholic and Protestant persuasions. I hear the Rosary being prayed and some of it went like this: “Hail Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners————” This sounded to me like Mary was being asked to intercede with God, not that she was being prayed to. Mothers in general are somewhat revered, so why not the Mother of God?
So Pope Adrian IV, an English man, condoned King Henry II’s idea of invading Ireland. Countries have been invaded since time immemorial, and are still being invaded. A few centuries after Pope Adrian IV, Henry VIII was unable to persuade Pope Clement to annul his marriage to his brother’s widow, Catherine of Aragon. Henry abandoned Catholicism for Protestantism and appointed Thomas Cramer Archbishop of Canterbury. The Archbishop declared Henry’s marriage to Catherine null and void, the conception of their five daughters notwithstanding Henry promptly married Anne Boleyn, the second of his six wives. So goes the moral compass.
Our first teachers are our parents, and it is no surprise that we often inherit their belief system. Most parents want what is best for their children, as they see it. Parents are different, and we know they can’t all be right or wrong. Christ advised us to love one another. The very young, no matter who or where, seem to think that this is a good idea. Later, unfortunately not much later, many will be taught otherwise.
Julie Ewashen
Creston
