I appreciate Sandy Bradford’s invitation to respond to her 4/17 letter to the editor. I have no reason to doubt that she is a kind-hearted and well-intentioned individual. Sandy states: “The world continues to be a dangerous place, not because of evil people, but because we keep using violence to fight violence…we can make a difference…as we build the foundation of true peace for future generations to benefit from…start right now by examining our own lack of inner peace…Within this one person, as well as every person, is where true peace begins.”

      In her previous letter she mentioned Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. as “the world’s most renowned pacifists”. They are two of my heroes as well, and it is notable that they were both murdered. While they made a huge difference in raising consciousness and bringing much needed reform, the world has continued to be just as violent a place.

      Sandy writes, “I feel drawn to defending those whom society has deemed unfit to live amongst the rest of us…We are not making a right or good choice by continuing to condone the use of violence as a tool to fix what is wrong.” Interesting, that I haven’t seen any letters from her opposing abortion. I have yet to meet an anti-war activist or anyone else who writes as she does that just as vehemently opposes the violent destruction of unborn children. Exceptions to this are certainly the minority.

       Sandy indicates that she believes in reincarnation when she mentions i) “our souls are in the process of evolving, and as long as our focus is on our lower nature that involves the use of violence to quell violence, this evolutionary process cannot proceed”, ii)“Karma”, iii)“As eternal beings , one might say that we have all the time in the world…iv)We have all of eternity to get things right and move forward…”

      Are you aware, Sandy, that reincarnation in the Hindu religion was used to justify the violent caste system in India? The untouchables and women (what Gandhi called the other untouchables) were considered to be in their lowly state because of Karma. They earned their state of degradation from what they did in a former life. It doesn’t make sense to speak up for anyone’s rights if Karma is bringing about justice over time! If reincarnation was true, our species would be progressively evolving toward our “higher nature”, and there is no evidence of that taking place.

      If inner peace is the ultimate in development and state of being, I’ve been in Nirvana for several years now. Disquiet and sadness that I feel comes from without, not from within--from man’s inhumanity to man. Sandy and I share a deep level of compassion for all of life, but we differ in our belief as to the core cause of violence as well as the solution to its eradication. If she is a typical believer in reincarnation, she is pantheistic—believing there is no objective gauge of good and evil because God is beyond good and evil, that anything you find in the universe is a part of God, and that we are all one with God as part of the Godhead.

      As a monotheist, I believe that God created the world and only creates good things. God has given us intelligence and a conscience to know right from wrong and justice from injustice. It is intellectually untenable that a creature can be truly free without the possibility of doing wrong. God’s good gift of freedom has led many to choose all manner of bad. As a Judeo-Christian, I believe that an evil principality continues to tempt us to “be like Gods” (Genesis 3:5)--to invent some sort of happiness for ourselves apart from God. All manner of violence whether physical or emotional, against others or against ourselves, comes from our striving for something other than God to bring us happiness. True happiness and peace does not exist apart from God. Jesus Christ, when He walked on the Earth, was the only man truly one with God. By His death as payment for our sins, His resurrection and ascension into Heaven, and by the Holy Spirit descending, we are reconciled with God the Father. Followers of Christ are given power over sin as well as the inheritance of Heaven. As we draw closer to Jesus in love and obedience, our quest is to draw others to Him by example and by spreading His Word. When you come to know Jesus, you can’t help but want everyone else to know Him too. Therein lies true peace, a gift from the Prince of Peace.

Annie Bukacek MD