A deophobic sermon
Shaun de Waal has written a deophobic sermon (“Fighting fire with fire”, May 25), but needs to deal with the evidence evenhandedly.
If the wrong religion has done is evidence that belief in God is false, is the right religion has done evidence that belief in God is true? Likewise, does the wrong done by atheists prove God exists?
Why is it that militant atheists pick on the worst examples of religious fanaticism to bolster their arguments? Why don’t they take on Albert Luthuli, Desmond Tutu, the conscientious objector movement, pastors of gay-friendly churches, and the thousands of people of faith contributing to the struggle against Aids?
It is easy to attack the baddies; why not have a go at the goodies?
And why are the parameters defined by debates in the North, so that we have to import arguments from people, like Richard Dawkins, who know nothing about Africa? Why not ask questions about faith, God and religion in Africa? Given De Waal’s argument that religion is “wishful thinking”, is he suggesting religious Africans can’t think for themselves?
And if my belief in God is irrational and caused by childhood indoctrination, what makes De Waal so sure his deophobia is not?
The starting point for faith is a hard-nosed, evidence-based, recognition that human beings are not able to sort themselves out. Even religion doesn’t help. What we need is grace.
This recognition of their own limitations, rather than the gracelessness of “fighting fire with fire”, is probably why many people are comfortable with faith. Madeleine Bunting is likely to be right that “the New Atheists are in danger of a spectacular failure”.
Why, when it comes to religion, does the Mail & Guardian trot out cocktail conversation dressed up as serious comment? Terry Eagleton has made a devastating critique of Dawkins’s academic sloppiness, and I would grade De Waal’s piece pretty low in Religion 101. How about serious debate with serious scholars? — Steve de Gruchy, School of Religion and Theology, UKZN
Believers are right to fear further broadsides from atheists. Increasingly, it is being realised that the time for unearned respect is over.
Respecting someone’s right to choose their beliefs (if indeed the choice wasn’t made by dishonest elders) doesn’t mean respecting their choice. If something is wrong, anyone should feel free to say so, no matter how “heretical” or “blasphemous”.
There are certainly things that can only be sustained by belief, such as justice, altruism, forgiveness, intellectual honesty. Belief is important, but it does not imply blind faith — and it certainly should not be wasted on gods. — Gordon Wells, Pretoria
Bunting and De Waal are both wrong: Dawkins and Daniel Dennett address the origins, evolution and function of religion and both consider these fascinating scientific questions.
Dawkins is the originator of the meme theory of religion, which treats it as a kind of independent organism that replicates, mutates and propagates in human brains. Dennett the philosopher is deeply interested in the function of religion, and asks: “How does the common cold improve our fitness?” The answer is that it doesn’t; cold viruses exist simply because they are good at getting themselves sneezed into another host.
There may be beneficial reasons for religion, but their point is that even pathological and parasitic religions can persist in a society, and we need to understand why.
Bunting’s article illustrates the new atheists’ principal concern — the defensive and slightly hysterical response criticism of religion elicits.
Dawkins, Dennett and Sam Harris lament the difficulty of engaging with religion because of the aura of respectful awe surrounding it. Defenders of a scientific proposition expect to be attacked by all comers, knowing that the best surety of truth is robust debate and merciless scrutiny.
No ethical scientist accuses critics of “hostility” or “provocation”, or of lacking in “understanding” and “sympathy”. It is this humourless leap to offence that poses the real threat to society. — David Harley
De Waal’s article hit the nail spectacularly on the head. Let us hope that his well-articulated and important message will permeate the consciousness of the general public. — Alex Myers
Tired of being 4X4 fodder
The Mail & Guardian should come to Xolobeni in Pondoland and see the nonsense it is publishing about so-called community resistance to Mineral Commodity Resources’ application to mine the dunes (“‘Bring machines, and we will fight'”, May 4).
Stephan Hofstatter says “some people” fear Gauteng-style mine dumps. There’s a major difference between deep-level gold mining and shallow dry-dune mining. The minerals and energy department forces every mining operation to lodge more than sufficient funds for complete rehabilitation of affected areas.
He raises environmentalists’ objections and implies eco-tourism offers sustainability. Although the mine’s expected life is 22 years, the beneficiation plants will continue permanently, processing mineral- sands concentrate from elsewhere.
The mine will create 575 direct jobs and employees will be paid industry-related salaries and benefits.
The EU has invested R80-million in eco-tourism projects along the Wild Coast, but we have felt little or no impact.
The area has no water, except from rivers, no electricity and bad roads.
The financial benefits from the mine will be distributed to Xolobeni’s people through trusts, whose representatives appointed the board members of XolCo, which will own 26% of the operation.
No mining will take place along the environmentally sensitive coast or estuaries. The land to be mined is eroded and, without mining and rehabilitation, erosion will continue, creating far greater environmental damage.
We are tired of being “sustained” as holiday scenery for people in 4x4s. Our people have the right to decent jobs and a basic standard of living. — Nomangesi Malunga, chairman, XolCo
Childless and grateful
I thought it was just narrow-minded South African Indians who misguidedly believe a woman’s primary ambition is to marry and have children. So I can sympathise with Sarah Churchwell (“Who needs kids anyway?”, May 11).
I am 34, single and childless. I am still prone to life’s trials and tribulations, but I am grateful every day that I do not have to share and pass on my problems to my innocent children.
As a schoolteacher, I have come across children of parents driven into marriage by social acceptance with a romantic idea of marriage and children, who then discover the harsh reality — bills, illnesses, endless fatigue and lack of me-time.
I can cook, sleep in, jump on a plane and even take long unpaid leave when I want to. I don’t have to kill myself to work and earn. I can follow my dreams and impulses.
Most importantly, I can continue helping children to cope with life and strive to accomplish their goals, despite their parents’ problems. — Kamshi Kanavaty
NW rulers drunk or asleep
As a North West resident, I feel the Khutsong community’s resistance to incorporation in North West province is justified. Which North West town has not protested against poor service delivery in the past year? Many towns have protested and vented their frustrations by torching councillors’ homes and businesses.
Although this is unfortunate and regressive, it underscores a vital point: the authorities in North West are either sleeping or drinking themselves into a stupor. It is common for councillors to gather over weekends and drink themselves into a comatose condition.
North West Premier Edna Molewa reshuffled her Cabinet last week and — surprise, surprise — she shuffled two MECs (Phenye Vilakazi and Jerry Thibedi) back to their original portfolios, where they failed before. Is this pure incompetence or shortsightedness? I will leave it to the warring factions in the North West ANC, the Talibans and the Mapogo, to come up with a name for it.
Municipalities are the worst. One mayor was stabbed because he was suspected of frolicking with his assailant’s wife, who happens to be the municipal speaker.
In another, the regional secretary gave his brother the municipal manager’s position. In yet another, the municipal manager has been in the job for almost three terms, with no tangible progress for the suffering community.
The rot is province-wide and the ANC keeps quiet. This is why Khutsong residents are so adamant that they don’t want to be incorporated into North West. — Patrick Rampai, Johannesburg
Khutsong needs help. It is too late now for politicians to regret their decision to incorporate Merafong into North West. It’s evident that ANC chairperson Mosiuoa Lekota, who was sent to persuade the Khutsong people, Premier Molewa, Provincial and Local Government Minister Sydney Mufamadi, North West ministers Johannes Tselapedi and Vilakazi, and Cosatu’s Willie Madisha have all failed.
President Thabo Mbeki needs shrewd advisers who have thought about how to redress the situation and prevent it being prolonged in the courts.
A compromise might be to bring Mabopane, Ga-Rankuwa and Temba back to the North West, where they belong, and letting Merafong go where it belongs. Moving the former Tshwane townships to Gauteng was a major influence on the decision to move Merafong to North West. — Mothusi Motlhabi, Mafikeng
‘Plagiarism’ evidence thin
The evidence presented in your over-excited story, “Christopher Hope in ‘rip-off’ row” (May 25), alleging the novelist “borrowed” from a biography, is paper-thin. Despite not having read Liz McGregor’s book, I recognised much of the detail Hope is supposed to have gleaned for his novel My Mother’s Lovers. The reason is that quack Aids treatments have been widely covered in the media, including the Mail & Guardian.
Novelists invent characters, situations: that’s their “intellectual copyright”. But authors of biographies do not “own” the people they write about. Those facts, once published, enter the public record. This was the nub of the Da Vinci Code plagiarism trial.
Some time ago, I wrote a non-fiction book that seems to have been a source for a novel. Apart from an initial upwelling of proprietorial indignation, I had to admit I did not “own” the facts I had uncovered, and was delighted that the subject was considered important enough to gain further life.
If anyone should feel outraged at being fictionalised and satirised by Hope, it should be our real-life “rip-off” HIV/Aids quacks.
Novelists glean ideas from observation, stories, newspapers, books, life, then use the alchemy of their imagination. Aids denialists appear unable to tell the difference between fact and fiction. The M&G should. — Bryan Rostron, Cape Town
Disturbed
The article “Who is behind Tokyo’s campaign” (May 18) is factually incorrect. The ministry of transport would like to put the record straight, that:
- Minister Jeff Radebe never attended any party at Peter-Paul Ngwenya’s residence, nor is he aware of the location of his residence; and
- the minister never had any robust discussion with Popo Molefe and Tokyo Sexwale regarding the latter’s presidential ambitions, nor has he given his backing to Sexwale’s alleged campaign.
The minister is deeply disturbed by the publication of such misinformation, which was not verified with him. — Ntau Letebele, ministry of transport
In brief
Let’s pay teachers, nurses and the like 12% more. They are indispensable to our present and future, while most fat cats are not. — T Gous
Mandla Nyathi (May 25) cannot deny that affirmative action is relegating South Africa to mediocrity. This is not because blacks are inferior, the straw man Nyathi attacks. It is the legacy of apartheid and Bantu education, which won’t be turned around by appointing people to jobs they can’t do or that others can do better. — Cilliers Brink, University of Pretoria
The DA’s finding of poor levels of service delivery in the Free State doesn’t surprise me. Despite having a PhD in science education and being close to finishing an MBA at Wits, I’ve applied for several positions in the Free State education department but have never been short-listed or invited for an interview. This has also happened to my wife, a medical doctor currently specialising in anaesthesia. — Mark Chakane
The methodology required to determine who overrode the Auditor General’s criticisms of eNatis, and why, is probably the traditional one of following the money. — CD Chatteris, Verulam
Whenever anyone resigns from SABC news, journalists attribute this to the MD of news Snuki Zikalala. My experience in the newsroom is that Zikalala just calls a spade a spade and does not hide his unhappiness if somebody is not performing to standard. — Charles Matlou