Editor:

I have a few comments concerning the Guest Column written by John Baumgardner in the Friday, Aug. 23, Monitor, in which he offers strong criticism of atheists and evolutionists. He first attacks atheists with the comments "The atheist worldview insists there are no standards of right or wrong. It says there is no ultimate purpose or meaning. It implies there is no basis for human responsibility. It undermines the very concept of government by law." He later states that atheism "gives license to criminal behavior, drug abuse, and anarchy." This is utter nonsense. One does not have to believe in God or read the Bible to know right from wrong. One does not have to be a genius to realize that you should do unto others as you would have others do unto you. It is obvious that, to be treated with respect and kindness, one must display these same virtues toward others. One does not have to believe in God to know that it is good to help others and bad to harm others in any way. Unfortunately a belief in God seems to allow some people to think "I can do this bad thing and God will forgive me."

Concerning the theory of evolution, certainly all the "facts" have not yet been explained (as Baumgardner has said many times), similar to many other on-going chemical and physical research problems. That doesn't mean we should say "my goodness, we can't explain this so there must be a God." I would be interested to know what scientist Baumgardner's image of God is. What is his theory of "creationism" - is it all explained satisfactorily in. the Bible?

Llewellyn H. Jones