I would like to respectfully respond to the recent letter to the editor “Judeo-Christian oppression not appreciated” by Kathleen Brown of the Rensselaer Pagan Association. First, my desire is for everyone on this campus to have an equal right and opportunity to express themselves; I will not reciprocate Ms. Brown’s call to “leave campus posthaste.” If I were to make my voice heard by silencing others, the message I was trying to convey would be greatly weakened.

Second, I do not desire to force my beliefs upon anyone, but to provide information so that people can make their own decisions about faith. At the same time, my convictions are strong enough that I stand up to attacks against them. Reading of the Bible is not fundamentalist ignorance; it is the reading of information that is historically valid, and pertinent to my life and to yours. Jesus of Nazareth is known to have existed–even by secular authorities of the time. His miracles and His resurrection were witnessed by many, and recorded by multiple reliable sources. Thorough, open-minded research has revealed countless times that the biblical Jesus and the historical Jesus are the same person.

Finally, Christians are not out to promote Jesus Christ because of selfish desire to go to heaven. The Bible says that simply by putting our faith in Him, we have eternal life in heaven. Christians would be selfish not to share that good news with others.

We encourage you to pick up one of your little green Bibles and to read it. The Christian organizations at RPI exist to answer your questions and to serve and guide you in your personal search for understanding.

David Jones

ITEC ’03