Pondering Prophecy
As a freelance editor now working on a book about prophecy, I read with interest your recent cover story on the same topic (“The Way the World Ends,” Society, Nov. 1). Before I began reading, I wondered how the “secular media” would treat prophecy, especially in such a popular venue. In short, I am impressed. (I can’t say I’m surprised, because I’m a big NEWSWEEK fan.) Your article was very well done–both fair and thorough. Thanks for respecting the views of those conservative Christians–like me–who take this topic seriously. Heather Stroobosscher Grand Rapids, Mich.
Your article “The Way the World Ends” is one of the most penetrating and clear expositions I have seen on the current passion about the end of the world. However, I would like to point to another, very different reading of the Book of Revelation regarding “the woman clothed with the sun.” In this interpretation, the image refers not to the end of the world but to the birth of a new humanity. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the clash between Europe and the so-called New World was disastrous. The native peoples seemed doomed to total annihilation. Roman Catholics say that in 1531, Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared at Tepeyac, Mexico. (That is the site of the ancient sanctuary of the earth-mother goddess Tonantzin, who was venerated by pre-Conquest Indians.) She was standing on the moon, surrounded by the sun and crowned with stars. Bearing a child in her womb, she announced a new space for all the inhabitants of a land where everyone would be welcome. This is the beginning of the new humanity of the Americas, to which Pope John Paul II has referred, and which millions believe was envisioned and announced by John of Patmos in Revelation. Thus the millennium is not a time of fear and tribulation, but one of hopeful expectations that a new humanity, made up of all the peoples of the world, is taking shape in the Americas. Father Virgil Elizondo San Antonio, Texas
The apocalypse prophesied by the Book of Revelation has already come. It comes every day that a child is murdered. It comes every year that we wage war. It comes every moment we damage the environment for future generations. It comes every time we adults blame lost and broken teenagers for our nation’s troubles, instead of working to create better communities for them to live in. The Rev. Joel Miller Columbine Unitarian Universalist Church Littleton, Colo.
After reading your cover story “The Way the World Ends,” I find it frightening that so many Americans mindlessly seem to buy into absurd myth and fantasy, and to feel that “there are few competing narratives.” Well, by golly, maybe I was wrong to assume that reason might be one of them. Since the critical thinking of a rational mind did not receive an honorable mention in your story–nor did the opportunity to challenge a theory positing a vengeful end of the world and all its inhabitants–let me add my own little bit of prophecy. It certainly looks as though it will be another half century or so that the thinking man will have to sit back, be quiet so as not to offend others’ beliefs (regardless of how ridiculous they might be) and listen to this nonsense. Craig Holmquist Midlothian, Texas
You could have written “The way the World Ends” with just one quote from Matthew 24:36–“As for the exact day or hour, no one knows it, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” That frees me from having to look for and interpret “signs” and lets me concentrate on living my life to the fullest, and becoming the best Christian, wife and mother I can be. Mary Keldermans Springfield, Ill.
Will the madness about apocalyptic prediction ever end? As a Methodist minister for more than 45 years, I am soul-weary of the theological mishmash in the religious community over the Book of Revelation. Ditto for the rapture, a theory fabricated from a pastiche of Scriptures that have nothing to do with one another. I wish we could all settle on the verse in Micah: “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” If Jesus does return, he will have the sense to wait until we have made the world safe for him to do so. The last time he was here, we killed him. The Rev. Milton Propp Albuquerque, N.M.
The Bible says that grass and fruit trees were created by God on the third day and the moon and stars on the fourth day. So why would anyone take seriously what the Bible says about the end of the world? Jim Howe Portland, Ore.
Grandma Knows Best
Erica Kennedy makes a number of positive points about her grandmother, the academic success of the grandchildren, race relations and, perhaps most important, the need to unconditionally accept children who have no control over being born or over their parentage (“Who’s the Daddy? Grandma Didn’t Ask,” My Turn, Nov. 1). There is, however, a dark side to this essay unrelated to race that Kennedy waltzes over. She tells us that two of the “11 college-educated grandkids” have out-of-wedlock children, and that these fathers have no intention of marrying the mothers. Who taught them or allowed them to behave in this irresponsible manner? How will their children fare, being raised in single-parent homes? Will the fathers participate in their lives? Will the fathers be ethically, morally and financially responsible for seeing that these children mature into worthwhile people? Or will these children simply slip through the cracks and become two more welfare cases or lead some other form of suboptimal lives? Parenthood should not be a simple biological side effect of unprotected sex. Parenthood should occur after both parties have decided, as mature adults, to accept the totality of the responsibility that comes with the creation of life. Ted Ryan Dallas, Texas
Erica Kennedy made the right choice when she decided to become a freelance writer. Her essay made me wish I’d had a grandma like hers. Roslyn Reid Bernardsville, N.J.
Just Do It-And Bring Band-Aids
As a “weekend warrior,” I feel that the Nike ads are right on. I have beaten myself up playing roller hockey (one and a half teeth lost, various bruises), softball (broken finger), lacrosse (too many bruises to list) and basketball (broken ankle). But do I stop? No! I love the games, and I think that’s precisely what Nike was trying to convey. And since the ads were targeting people like me, the athletes, then they succeeded. The couch potato is not going to understand what it’s like to get home from work, shove dinner into your mouth and leave an hour later to go to the rink to play a hockey game–and then leave that rink to go to your other team playing at a different rink. And then to do it all again the next day and the next week. I play on five different hockey teams, at two different rinks. Like me, the people in those commercials loved sports so much that they did not let injuries prevent them from doing what they loved. In sports you get hurt, and yes, those injuries are worn as a badge of honor. Steve Wojtowicz Basking Ridge, N.J.
My husband and I thought the nike ads featuring scarred athletes were great. They’re creative and build on the company’s already recognizable ad campaign. I’m amazed that with all the blood and gore on TV these days, people would get squeamish about ads like these. To me, the “Just Do It” campaign says something about embracing life–and embracing life means taking risks, whether it’s a physical risk like the ones these people took to pursue a love of sports or an emotional risk of the kind we take when we open our hearts to love others. Deborah Lockridge Birmingham, Ala.
In your Nov. 1 Periscope item “Go Directly to Vegas, Do Not Pass Go,” the following question is asked: “Where else but Las Vegas could the national Monopoly championship be held?” Uh… Atlantic City? After all, Atlantic City provided the original street names for Monopoly. The town has been inextricably linked with the game since the very beginning. I daresay that in a poll of 1,000 randomly selected citizens, an overwhelming majority would identify Monopoly with Atlantic City. I doubt if even one would identify it with Las Vegas. Don Sakers Linthicum, Md.
Am I just hopelessly square, or might a college education be “worth” something more than its future income- enhancing potential (“The Worthless Ivy League?” Judgment Calls, Nov. 1)? I agree that my education was not the least bit cost-effective. I could have gone to Podunk U. (to use Robert J. Samuelson’s generic term for lesser-known colleges) free–it would even have paid for my books and pizza. Instead I chose an Ivy League school where I was surrounded by brilliant and creative people (both peers and faculty) who exploded my horizons, nurtured my study and inspired me every day I was there. Forget the credential–if you qualify for admission to a wonderful college, I would say you would be nuts not to get yourself there and seize a learning opportunity you will never have again. I’ve never felt cheated by my choice. Deb Sweeney, Yale ‘89 Eden prairie, Minn.
It was with interest that I read your piece on the value of a “name school” education. I will be graduating this coming spring from one of the schools you mentioned as not worth the money. The squabbling of statistical studies and the validity of the SAT as a measure of anything aside, I call into question the assumption you make that the subsequent earnings of graduates measure their success. When I leave Swarthmore in May, I will live in a world whose possibilities have been opened up to the light of critical thinking. Like the majority of my classmates searching for jobs, I will focus not on income but rather on fulfillment, happiness and personal interest. As I receive my degree in economics, I fully intend to pursue a life of poetry, philosophy and family raising. I may not own many corporations in my lifetime or live the hectic life of the presidential contender, but I doubt very much if I’ll ever wonder, over a cup of tea or during a nice evening stroll, what those statistical data you cite have to say about me. Sean Brennan Swarthmore, Pa.
Robert J. Samuelson’s analysis of education has all the depth of rain on a flat rock. An education is not a junk bond to be purchased in the hope of earning quick profits. I graduated from Stanford with honors in 1998. Before graduating, I rejected offers from banks and consulting firms for multiples of what I now make at my dream job on Capitol Hill. Some of my classmates may be wealthier than I; none are happier. Samuelson may call me a failure, but at least I’m not shallow. Cameron Doolittle Washington, D.C.
I want to thank Robert J. Samuelson for his comments about college. It is true that what a student brings to college is more important than where he or she chooses to study. However, I must point out that there is an important flaw in the research that led to this conclusion. The criterion used for judging the success of a student after college is money, which we all know differs from one career choice to the next. After college, I have never earned much money, since first I was a Peace Corps volunteer and now I am a graduate student and teaching fellow. When I finally finish, I hope with a Ph.D. in hand, I will not earn much money, even assuming I find a good job. This is because college professors in the humanities, my chosen field, are severely underpaid. That will not make me any less successful than my college friends who are now earning three or more times as much as I do, because I measure success by job satisfaction. So what did my education at Sweet Briar College give me? The courage and confidence to do what I most enjoy. That is success. Patty Suppes Mebane, N.C.
Guns: Still Out of Control
Did Anna Quindlen ever pass logic? Her flawed argument (“The Widows and the Wounded,” The Last Word, Nov. 1) equating gun registration with car registration as the answer to keeping our loved ones safe ignores the other common daily threats to our children. Maybe we should register swimming pools, bicycles, window glass, child walkers and lawn mowers. The registration of every gun in America will not usurp parental responsibility or address the plethora of illegal weapons already available. It’s unfortunate, but parental and individual responsibility cannot be legislated. Deborah Hamilton Perkins Springwater, N.Y.
I guess we should be getting used to the clamoring of people like Anna Quindlen who go on and on about the NRA. She writes as though the NRA is an evil entity in some dark brick building somewhere. I wish she would understand that the millions of dollars the NRA spends protecting vital American freedom come from millions of citizens like me, who realize that the day government somehow manages to seize our firearms is the day that we lose our freedom. For centuries, the dividing line between enslaved peoples and free citizens has been demarcated by a free society’s right to keep and bear arms. We intend to support this vital right to preserve our heritage and our freedom. Andy Johnson, President North Dakota Shooting Sports Association Rolla, N.D.
I was refreshed and recharged after reading Anna Quindlen’s article “The Widows and the Wounded.” It reaffirms the message coming from an increasing number of Americans that a more responsible attitude on the part of all citizens (including our government) must be taken when it comes to gun control. Perhaps the only people not hearing that message are those sitting on Capitol Hill? Jeannine Dyke Atlanta, Ga.
Right on, Anna Quindlen! I wish her Nov. 1 the last word would truly be the last word about gun laws. Quindlen bravely and quietly took on both the NRA bullies and the wimps who run from confronting their absurdities–and as far as I’m concerned, that’s the end of it. Can any sane person argue against laws that protect our children from accidental gunshots? Did the Founding Fathers intend the Second Amendment to give the United States the distinction of using guns to kill more children than anywhere else in the world? You can bet your Uzi that the Founding Mothers didn’t! This piece should be required reading for every voter and every parent. No other words are needed; Quindlen said it all. Elizabeth P. Zimmer, President St. Mary’s Foundation for Children New York, N.Y.
Harry’s a Good Guy
Recently, my mother left the Nov. 1 issue of NEWSWEEK on the dining-room table, open to page 6. As I walked past, I recognized the cover of one of my favorite books and sat down to read your article (“Hurry, Harry!” Periscope). I read in this article that some parents think the Harry Potter books are encouraging children to practice witchcraft. I am 9, and I can very, very strongly assure them that they are not. Since a bit before school started, all of my friends have been reading the books, which I started in mid-October. I have not noticed anyone even talking about trying to do witchcraft, much less jumping off the roof on a broom trying to fly, or mumbling spells, trying to turn their brothers and sisters into lizards or toads. NEWSWEEK said that at least we are reading something. What we are reading are three very, very good books. No, Harry Potter is not evil. Megan Owen Milan, Ind.
Correction
In our Oct. 25 issue on America’s greatest sports heroes of the century, the horse shown in a photo accompanying an item about Man o’ War was not, in fact, the legendary racehorse.
