Dear Editor,
Debatable: Readers found Lance Vaillancourt's Nov. 30 column, "Sandwich, pretzel, pancake constitute modern-day excuse for miracles," humorous.
Fact: I did.
Fact: The opinion piece, humorous though it might have been, is filled with assumptions regarding how one ought to understand miraculous events, God - apparently, there is only one - and how that one God acts or does not act in the world. The author is very critical of certain understandings of "miracles," yet is quite confident in the knowledge he has of his God.
Fact: Not all religions are theistic.
Fact: The Christian God is but one among many alleged deities.
Fact: Christians do not have a corner on "Truth."
Debatable: Gods actually exist.
Debatable: If gods do exist, we can clearly intuit their intentions.
Fact: Not all Christians find it helpful to speak of God as a gendered, male deity.
Fact: Many religions include goddesses among their deities.
Fact: Alleged "miracles" do not necessarily bring people together.
Fact: Even a "real miracle" is open to interpretation.
Fact: Creation myths, such as the one the author alludes to, are plentiful in the world.
Debatable: Whether such creation myths ought to be read literally or symbolically.
Fact: I am an assistant professor of religious studies here at Ball State University.
Fact: In my courses, we discuss many potentially controversial topics, much like those I mention in this letter.
Fact: My students respond well to these challenges.
Fact: I prefer Belgian waffles to pancakes.
Jeff Brackett
Assistant professor of religious studies
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