Letters, May 1, 1995

THE MEANING OF WONDERWORKS

"The greatest miracle of all is our own existence. That alone should convince anyone of the reality of God."

Paul Rossi Cherry Hill, New Jersey

THE STATEMENT BY ONE EXPERT THAT the frequent occurrence of miracles in the U.S. today is comparable to Europe during the Middle Ages sent chills up my spine [Cover, April 10]. In those days people not only believed in miracles but also favored burning heretics and witches at the stake. Ignorance and untold misery were the legacy of the Middle Ages. If fundamentalists want to go back to that time, then let them go alone. History teaches that discarding reason and critical thinking in favor of religious superstition leads to death and misery.

Robert Sullivan West Newbury, Massachusetts

MIRACLES IN CHRISTIANITY DO POSSESS A historical character of salvation. They are not pieces of magic or show but rather serve to demonstrate the reality of faith to the community and the individual.

(The Rev.) Ulrich Nersinger Canon Regular of Klosterneuburg Klosterneuburg, Austria

YOUR STORY ATTEMPTED TO TRIVIALIZE the role of scholarly efforts like the Jesus Seminar in promoting honest public discussion of religious issues. You characterized me as a "onetime Protestant clergyman." I am the former head of the Society of Biblical Literature, a Guggenheim fellow and a senior Fulbright scholar. I have written a dozen books and more than 100 published articles and have taught at several well-respected universities. The Jesus Seminar Fellows are similarly downgraded to just "rebel scholars." The roster in The Five Gospels shows that the group includes some of the most accomplished biblical scholars of our time. You erroneously report that the Jesus Seminar found that Jesus did not rise from the dead. In fact, we concluded that the Resurrection of Jesus had nothing to do with what happened to his body. This is a distinction of some magnitude.

Robert W. Funk, Director Westar Institute Santa Rosa, California

AS ASSOCIATE MEMBERS OF THE JESUS Seminar, we attended three of its past four meetings. We are appalled at your treatment of this endeavor (by historians, not theologians) to counter the religious literalism and fundamentalism that are sweeping the world. Careful study of the Gospels finds therein many viewpoints not in harmony with one another. It has become clear that there were as many "denominations" at the beginning as there are now! The seminar's method of voting is a completely legitimate way to identify levels of consensus. The scholars are not out to debunk healings, miraculous or otherwise, but are advocates for religious literacy.

Stephanie Ince and Jerry Mattos Twentynine Palms, California