Destiny Church is grounded in dominionism, the theology that Christians must conquer the world and extinguish all belief other than their own. And all unbelief, of course.
Tamaki’s Destinarians are the noisiest and most visible of the dominionist Christians. But others exist. They are the 21st century’s version of the medieval Crusaders. They are dangerous. And they are us.
Trying to silence them, to suppress them, to outlaw them will not succeed. Nor will trying to shame them and arouse the rest of us by countering their poison with religious terminology, describing taiaha and flags as “sacred”.
The Destinarians have the right to demonstrate, and that must include the right to wear offensive symbols, and to burn and “desecrate” symbols that others may deem sacred.
What needs to be explored are the failings of our society that motivate these people to want to belong to such a sect. Somehow, we fail these fellow Kiwis. They are insecure and fearful of their place in the world, and it is their fear and insecurity that makes them hate the Others.
John Trezise, Birkenhead.
Israel’s nuclear weapons
The United States went to war in 2003, ostensibly because Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, and it was later proved that was not the case. Then it was justified as a war against terrorism and eventually a regime change.
This time, Iran is the bogey-man and, despite the fact that Israel attacked Iran first and has been inflicting a terrible toll on the people of the Palestinian Occupied Territories, the US has sided with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and has opened a Pandora’s box of horror on the world.
Israel has had nuclear weapons for 40 years. Mordechai Vanunu, an Israeli technician, revealed this in 1986 and was subsequently imprisoned by his Government for 18 years.
Why has the West not challenged this?
Any state with a nuclear weapon is a huge threat to the world. There is no such thing as a good nuclear weapon.
Sue Rawson, Papamoa Beach.
Names on All Blacks’ jerseys
It would be a good idea for the All Blacks to have their names on their backs.
England and Ireland have the names of their players on their backs, as do France, who we will be playing in a few weeks’ time.
I firmly believe that having names would enhance the enjoyment of the game, allowing us to follow individual players. As a result, more people might watch the sport.
It is almost impossible to know who the eight reserves are who run on in the last 10 minutes of the game
It would have been more meaningful to see TJ Perenara’s name rather than the number 9 when he did the haka.
The All Blacks last year had a number of halfbacks, all of whom wore number 9 on their jerseys, such as Cam Roigard, Cortez Ratima, Noah Hotham, and TJ Perenara. Additionally, Finlay Christie also played a significant role.
It would be great if the All Blacks had their names on their backs when we play the French.
Harvey White, Epsom.
Clarke decision disappointing
It was disappointing to read that rugby player Caleb Clarke was discharged without conviction for a blatant breach of driving rules which could easily have resulted in disaster for him and anyone unlucky enough to be a victim of his behaviour. And all because it could have impacted his career unfavourably.
It was equally disappointing to read that he was included in the All Blacks squad on the same day.
If we are expected to admire our sportspeople as role models, it’s reasonable to expect that they earn the respect given. In this case, all that has been shown is that budding players can get away with any kind of stupidity, virtually without penalty, so long as they’re in the right team.
Clarke isn’t the first, nor will he probably the last to be treated so leniently by the court. Being a “star” doesn’t mean you are above the law. It’s high time more were made to understand that.
Jeremy Coleman, Hillpark.
