Readers Write: Satanist display at the Capitol, food systems, Christmas in Bethlehem

Opinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes letters from readers online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

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Karen Tolkkinen’s Dec. 20 column (“Minnesota politicians are trying to rile up the Christians again”) justifies an entire year’s subscription to the Minnesota Star Tribune; it was brilliant. The false pretext of Christianity by U.S. Reps. Tom Emmer and Pete Stauber and retired state Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka is most un-Christian. Either Christianity is used as an excuse to ban or limit things that certain conservatives don’t want (e.g., books, abortion, etc.) or to falsely pretend that “Christian values” mean posting the Ten Commandments in schools and that teaching “universal” Bible stories is the American way.

Yet when the beliefs are counter to their own (such as those of atheists, Wiccans, Muslims or so-called Satanists), they scream that this is un-Christian, un-Minnesotan and un-American. These Constitutionalists have a weird way of separating church and state. Perhaps the U.S. Constitution should be posted in all schools and government buildings instead of the Ten Commandments.

P.S. Gov. Tim Walz may be a lot of things, but I’m pretty sure a Satanist is not one of them.

Ted Rich, Crystal

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Bless you, Tolkkinen, and the camel you rode in on. Your column was spot-on, saying that the basic tenets of Christianity — love, reconciliation and forgiveness — were hardly on display by U.S. Reps. Emmer and Stauber and retired state Senate Majority Leader Gazelka, as they criticized everyone who doesn’t practice Christianity the way they believe it should be practiced.

Or, perhaps it’s more appropriate to say the men took aim at those who don’t feel politics should show favoritism toward a particular religion (their religion, Constitution be damned). In this particular case, they got their jodhpurs in a bundle over a display at the Capitol by a group that calls itself the Minnesota Satanists. It was (brace yourself) a display of a phoenix rising from the ashes. Forget the fact that there was also a Christmas tree on display and a traditional manger scene.

The three men were outraged that there was anything on display that was not overtly Christian and related to the Christmas story. So they set about doing exactly what their chosen religion teaches its followers not to do: They stirred up anger, rabble-roused, finger-pointed, name-called. Tolkkinen’s column was spot-on as she pointed out the hypocrisy of what they purported to believe and hold holy and what they actually practice. Jesus himself would probably raise his shepherd’s staff up high in solidarity with the columnist, were it not such a busy time of year for him, what with all the birthday preparations and such. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if, in this season that so many hold sacred, the faithful would step back and think deeply about the core messages of their chosen religion and then ask themselves how they can move from talking the talk to walking the talk in the new year. What a wonderful world it would be!

Caryn Schall, Minnetonka

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Our nation’s founders were well aware of England’s struggles with mixing religion and politics. England has a long history of fighting over what — and whose — religion would control the country: Protestant, Catholic or whatever King Henry VIII declared this week. England rose to new heights when Queen Elizabeth I declared it didn’t matter. People could relax about who believed what, and get on with their lives.

This separation of church and state is precisely what has made America great. It’s what attracts people from all over the world who want to make better lives for themselves and their loved ones by doing better for others. Short-sighted and selfish politicians are the real problem.

It’s very simple: Politics and religion are like walking and chewing gum. You can do both at the same time, but it gets sticky if you mix them up. Hooray for Tolkkinen. A breath of sanity in our morning paper.

Dave Porter, Minneapolis

It is easy to bring a food item to an event supporting a food bank. A simple click donates $50 to a holiday food drive. Open the car window at the red light, and you can quickly give a granola bar to the man asking for donations.

But are we letting ourselves off the hook? Are these actions so easily taken, so laudable and accessible, that they fulfill our desire to do good? We drop a dollar in a bucket, and there is no more need to consider further the food issues in our midst. There are plenty of these issues — food producers earning a pittance, poor working conditions on farms and in factories, lack of basic food knowledge, food companies peddling sugar and fat in any way possible, our agricultural land groaning under excessive use of pesticides.

During this season of giving — especially food giving ― I urge you to make donations to groups that will change our unjust food systems. Here are some ideas:

These donations allow you to go beyond the next meal and have an influence on the future. With the recent needs in North Carolina in the wake of hurricane disaster, I donated to a local nonprofit there that fights for immigrant workers’ rights. Though it might be giving out food right now, the organization is primarily looking to improve wages and working conditions of farm laborers. These men and women supply our winter desires for berries, cucumbers and yes, Christmas trees. Another idea is the round-up opportunities at Twin Cities natural food co-ops. The staff at the co-ops specifically choose organizations for these round-ups that support BIPOC producers, educate youth or build local food systems. Why not “round up” by an extra $25 and make an impact for a small, grassroots nonprofit?

It is the season for giving. Donate to feed the hungry, please do. But also put your donation dollars toward repairing our unjust food systems. Give a boost to the real change we all want.

Uli Koester, New Brighton

The writer is executive director of Midwest Food Connection.

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Every day, more Minnesotans are forced to choose between paying rent and putting food on the table. Caleigh Gumbiner, public affairs advocacy manager at Second Harvest Heartland, said, “Last year we (the emergency food system) saw a record number of food shelf visits in Minnesota at 7.5 million.” This statistic puts our growing hunger crisis into perspective. Food insecurity in Minnesota is increasing rapidly, and there should be more funding for food banks and programs like SNAP, which helps Minnesotans buy meals and groceries.

Sophia Lenarz-Coy’s Nov. 27 commentary, “Last year, nearly 500,000 Minnesotans used SNAP, but cuts are threatened in Washington,” expressed that “Right now, the minimum average SNAP participant in Minnesota receives just $5.16 per day. Certainly this is not enough for anyone to live on, let alone purchase fresh, healthy food.” This article resonates with the advocacy of Second Harvest Heartland and Lenarz-Coy’s organization, Food Group: working to increase the SNAP minimum, especially for marginalized populations.

While this legislation is being advocated for, Gumbiner suggested more practical ways the public can get involved, noting that “taking up a packing shift at your local food shelf or donating when you can” is a great way to help combat this issue. I know that these actions are crucial, as I started volunteering at food banks at a young age and saw how food insecurity can be detrimental to one’s life. To address this issue, it’s important that we increase funding and take manageable steps towards solving this hunger crisis.

Evie Chow, Edina

On my first trip to Palestine in 2009, I visited Bethlehem. When I toured the Nativity Museum I could see this beautiful kaleidoscope of humanity interpreting our living God among us.

This is the second year in a row of no Christmas in Bethlehem while war rages on in Gaza (“Bethlehem plans another somber Christmas under the shadow of war in Gaza,” StarTribune.com, Dec. 22). Many lament the dwindling Christian presence in Palestine. Bethlehem is more than a physical location; the birthplace of hope in our Prince of Peace resides in every Nativity scene around the world. Out of tragedy comes hope.

Howard Dotson, Minneapolis