In her June 29 column “The joy of dancing like nobody’s watching,” Lisa Rumpel quotes the book A Course in Miracles.  She probably didn’t realize it, but it is dangerous to recommend this New Age book, which is contrary to our faith. It would be great if you could put an article in The B.C. Catholic that explains its dangers so people will not go out and buy the book.

Janet Joy
White Rock


Many years ago I was caught up in the New Age book A Course in Miracles. Although it sounds good, it contains many falsehoods, including claiming that sacred Scripture is in error when it says sin separates us from God and that Jesus Christ did not die on the cross for our sins.

Needless to say I was quick to remove all such reading once the truth was revealed to me, and I am more careful to check on the background of my inspirational reading.

May we avoid being like the Hebrews, becoming affected by the false gods and ideas around them.

 Shelley Field-Halliday
Coquitlam

(Lisa Rumpel replies: “I appreciate the concern regarding a quote I shared from A Course in Miracles in my last article. The quote was picked for the message, that as children of God we are meant to shine. Unfortunately, I didn’t know it came from a book that is contrary to Catholic teaching and practice.  I do not recommend reading the book.”)  For more about A Course in Miracles, vistit EWTN at ewtn.com/catholicism/library/course-in-miracles-6069.


Regarding your July 13 coverage of migrant farm workers, “Voice for the vulnerable”:

I can’t help but think the real issue regarding migrant farm workers is that little Johnny Canuck can no longer care for himself. When someone has to come 3,000 miles to feed him, the future looks rather glum.

Alexander Wolfe-Murray
Burnaby


I appreciate Archbishop Miller’s July 13 letter on the martyrs in China (”Echoes of martyrs heard in suffering Church”), including those in the underground Catholic Church today as well as the large number of Catholics in the imprisoned island of Hong Kong. 

Ever since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the Chinese Communist Party has done its utmost to wipe organized religion from the consciousness of the Chinese people. Even today, Bibles are heavily edited to excise offending passages. People are “encouraged” not to have religious pictures or icons in their homes, but rather to have portraits of President Xi Jinping instead. Ever since the death of Mao, Xi is the leader who seems to be working toward a cult of personality, with him as the new emperor, the new god, for China. 

After the Tiananmen massacre in 1989, governments the world over were quick to condemn the bloodshed. However, memories soon fade, mostly because of the lure of the seemingly limitless Chinese market and the source of relatively cheap labour, and before long it was business as usual. There have been many trade missions from Canada to China, and no one seems to care that they are doing business with a government that has complete disregard for human rights. 

Since the signing of the agreement between the Vatican and China, there seems to have been even more severe persecution of Catholics in China. Legitimate bishops have been asked to step down to make way for men more acceptable to the party. With the new national security laws in the formerly very free city of Hong Kong, China is obviously signaling that world opinions have very little effect on its actions. 

The only way to send a strong signal to Beijing is to speak with our wallets. I personally have tried very hard not to purchase anything manufactured in China. Next time you pick up something from the store, please make a note of the country of manufacturing. Don’t forget that if you buy anything made in China, you are directly supporting a regime that works toward the demise of the Church. 

The provisional agreement between the Holy See and China expires in September. There is word that some in the Vatican feel the agreement should be renewed. This would be a grievous mistake. The party is interested in only one thing – to stay in power at all costs, and it sees the Church as a serious threat to its authority. 

The Soviet Union and the Iron Curtain fell, at least partly due to the moral authority of the Catholic Church, under the inspired leadership of Saint John Paul II. I hope today’s Church will show the same moral and spiritual leadership, and speak out against tyranny and injustice.

Remember the old saying that when you dine with the tiger, it is the tiger that dines last.

Patrick May
Vancouver