TO:  Letter to the Editor      

REF:  Read the Classica, Not just John and Paul

With regards to Michael C. Gilbert's libelous suggestion that I am
impoverished and illiterate, not being able to afford or having 
not read the Bible, please print this correction so that the 
general public may know the truth.

I am a scholar and own a very expensive, high quality, leather 
bound, gold embossed Bible.  I am also highly educated and well 
read.  I have at my finger tips not only the Bible but a home 
library of thousands of volumes including: The Encyclopedia 
Britannica, World Book Encyclopedia, Mindscape's Complete 
Reference Library on CD-ROM, The complete Gutenberg Project 
(which includes numerous historical documents, classical 
literature and the King James version of the Bible on CD-ROM), 
numerous dictionaries, almanacs, maps, Roget's Thesaurus, 
thousands of novels, and a very good collection of such magazines 
as National Geographic and Scientific American.

Plus I am computer literate and have access to every major 
on-line university library in the United States and the world, 
including the Library of Congress.  I even have a collection of 
rare books on theology which I inherited from my grandfather who 
was a Methodist minister. 

As a scholar I hardly need another copy of the Holy Bible.  
However I do recommend that Mr. Gilbert and others who can argue 
only by insult and innuendo invest in the development of their 
gray matter and increase their God given talents by reading: the 
Koran, the Talmud, the Vedas, the Puranas, the Ramayana, the 
Bhagavad-Gita and the Columbia History of the World.  This 
would give you greater tolerance for people of other faiths and 
teach you that there is more than one way to see God.

If you want to improve your minds further I recommend you begin 
by reading these classics from the Gutenberg Project:  Alice in 
Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, The Arabian Nights by Andrew Lang, 
Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott, Red Badge of Courage by Stephen 
Crane, The Time Machine by H. G. Wells, Aladdin and the Magic 
Lamp and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne.  Then 
supplement your education with a degree in both science the 
humanities (fine art, literature, philosophy, etc.) like I have.

Anyone who limits their argument to Bible quotes and is not well 
versed in the classics, who lacks a knowledge of history, who is 
ignorant of science, fine art, literature or world religions, and 
who does not know how to turn on a computer and use it to access 
the wealth of knowledge available from museums, universities and 
libraries upon the internet, is not qualified to minister to the 
public, serve in public office or offer enlightened editorial 
comments worthy of reprint and serious consideration by the 
public.  Uneducated people who attempt to lead or influence 
others with their opinions are basically ignorant clowns, fools 
of folly, the blind leading the blind.

If all you know is what the Bible says you are living 2,000 years 
in the past and your reasoning, judgment and mental capacity are 
open to serious question!  Clearly a man of God who has not 
invested his talents to educate himself to the highest degree 
possible has wasted God's most precious gifts: his intellect, his 
love for learning, and his potential to give of that wisdom 
gained back to humanity. 


Sincerely,
Terry Lynch
Montgomery, AL
DATE:  July 4, 1998