Letters to the editor

Last year, I wrote an article for The Briefing in which I exhorted all Christians everywhere to write letters to the newspapers from a Christian angle (The Briefing #339). As if to show that I am a man of words and not of deeds, like a garden full of weeds, I promptly stopped writing letters—which possibly shows that I am not even a man of words.

There was no good reason to stop, apart from the general busyness of life with a family and three children, and having other things to work on and an over-full brain. But yesterday I thought I should at least attempt to restart the process, and to my own astonishment managed to get two different letters into two different Saturday papers. I've never scored the daily double before!

The first letter was to the local rag, the Sydney Morning Herald. A bit of history: in the mid '70s, five Australian journalists were shot in Indonesia while doing their job. The truth of the matter—who shot them and why—was never fully revealed. And, not to put too fine a point on it, it looks like the Indonesian military did it and hid it. As a plethora of articles like this have uncovered. The letter I wrote was a direct response to this.

I understand the need to ask nicely, but if an Indonesian is suspected of being involved in a war crime wouldn't he want to clear his name? And what's with the apology? Shouldn't Indonesia be apologising to us?

Gordon Cheng, Kingsford

I mean, when you run it makes you look guilty, doesn't it?

The other letter was a response to this opinion piece in yesterday's Age, the Melbourne Fairfax publication.

Turn hatred into love

CHRISTIANITY is regularly criticised by people who feel bitter about it. We respond by trying to live out the same principles of love, mercy and forgiveness that Jesus showed when he was crucified by extremely bitter people. If the Islamic religion is truly strong, it will be able to repay hatred with love in the same way.

Reverend Gordon Cheng, Kingsford, NSW