Alison Graves made two comments in her letter, “We all deserve to learn”, that are problematical. She said: “If you’re opposed to religion, the Bible, God … stop reading now”. It is very clear that she thinks that nonbelievers are not concerned about the weakest members of our society — those with developmental disabilities, especially children. Nothing could be further from the truth.

We know that the more we help them, the stronger and better that society will become. Whether we believe that God exists or not or whether the Bible is the word of God is completely irrelevant when we are dealing with those less fortunate.

Ms. Graves continued: “God created each and every one of these children in his own way”. Scientists know that many horrendous diseases are often caused by genes, some of which are mutated, that are transmitted from parent to child. Does she believe that God, who is all-knowing, would use parents to create the means so that these children will suffer, perhaps for their entire lives? Do believers not refer to God as their “heavenly Father”? This being, who is all-powerful, could heal the child without any effort. What kind of god, who is infinitely more loving than any human parent, would condemn such a child to misery? To employ the old, worn-out rationale that “God works in mysterious ways” is a copout that strains credulity. If the purpose of suffering is to perfect us, then all people should suffer equally. Often, however, suffering does not bring people closer to God because they turn away from him after witnessing pointless tragedies in the world as well as the absence of his aid to those who really need it.

Current medical research and modern medicine continue to make incredible strides in preventing and curing diseases and genetic problems. Evidently, God did not provide doctors years ago with the knowledge to treat some of these diseases. So, in the past, some innocent child suffered inexorable pain and, perhaps, died as a child, while a child today, having the same problem(s), does not. What does that say about God’s plan when he creates “each and every one of us in his own way”?

John Klimenok Jr.

Plainfield