Do you want us to have teachers who don't care? This is important for our future and I believe teachers should get a pay rise to make our future the best it can be.
LOLA FISHER
Aramoho
Same-sex wedding issues
Kiwi baker article - "Kiwi baker refused us wedding cake, say gay couple" (Chronicle, July 10).
May I suggest to those who are in favour of same-sex marriage to also raise their hands and provide the services needed to same-sex couples. As they say: "Look after your own."
Meantime, well done Kiwi baker - stand by your Maker.
MERE THOMPSON
Westmere
Danger from atheists
To hear Frank Greenall tell it (Chronicle, July 5), all the world's evil is rooted in religion based on man-created myths.
He bolsters his narrative with examples in history when people have used religion to justify bad, sometimes lethal behaviour. Historical fact can certainly be troublesome when we want to believe otherwise.
Greenall quotes Voltaire, the atheist philosopher who "enlightened" the French Revolution, a paragon for atheist-based revolutions which followed. Stamp out religion, govern by killing, purge then be purged.
In the 20th century roughly 100 million people were killed by slaughter or systematic starvation as atheists established godless regimes. Those who survived enjoyed forced labour to serve their atheist masters.
We have much to fear from political aspirants who act with no fear of eternal consequences - Lenin, Stalin, Mao and Pol Pot, atheists all, succeeded in producing hell on Earth.
The more recent surge of anger against religion does little to dispel my concern of what can come of atheist-based philosophies.
Without Greenall's myopic narrative, I am aware religion is a dangerous tool in the hands of those who use it to gain wealth or power - which reminds me to act with Christian charity. Yes, Frank, it's a real thing, even though you don't seem to have noticed.
TEDDY MARKS
Whanganui
Genome project
In response to Russ Hay's letter of June 28: You would expect someone claiming the support of modern genetics to cite recent developments that might cast doubt on there being a single gene for homosexuality.
The Human Genome Project has produced so much data that consideration of it is apparently lagging.
Polygenetics (more than one gene acting or implicated); epigenetics (gene "switches"); and a growing awareness of environment on development, personality, and behaviour are current considerations.
Russ admits researcher Dean Hamer had not identified the "gay gene" but had proved a piece of DNA associated with sexual orientation could be mapped to the human genome.
That might as consistently be interpreted to show that behaviours do, indeed, affect body, as well as soul, including heritable genetic changes. It might as fairly be claimed as "evidence" for Christianity.
Modern genetics is theoretically agnostic and, therefore, practically atheistic. Neither personality nor behaviour are genetically determined. It is the soul that sins - "It's in my genes" cannot efface our personal responsibility to overcome undesirable traits.
JOHN HAAKMA
Whanganui
Fluoride in focus
Maybe Rick Baum (Letters; July 7) questions the authority of medical science because not one of the major dental or medical research institutions supports the anti-fluoride view.
Mr Baum questions the logic that mild dental fluorosis makes teeth more decay resistant - www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19571049.
He also cites Indian research that has no relevance to the community water fluoridation used in New Zealand.
There have been at least 20 major reviews into community water fluoridation in the past 20 years, done by international health authorities, and none have found any problems.
CHRIS PRICE
Palmerston North
