From Our Readers
About Grades
I very much appreciated your article “Young People Ask . . . Why Worry About Grades?” (March 22, 1984) The article emphasized listening in class if we want to gain knowledge. I will now work harder in school. My wish is that all students who have read that article as I did will understand the importance of listening in school.
E. R., France
I really liked the article “Young People Ask . . . How Can I Improve My Study Habits?” (August 8, 1984) I agree that television can ruin your concentration, but I disagree about the radio being distracting. I can concentrate on what I am reading and also have the radio playing in the background.
A. N., Ohio
The effect of a radio playing in the background while one is concentrating on studying may well vary from person to person. Its effect may also depend on the type of music being played. The book “How to Double Your Child’s Grades in School,” under the section “Tips That Double the Value of Each Study Hour,” states: “There must be no distractions for that hour. This means, ideally, his own room with the door closed. No radio or TV. No interruptions.” While one may feel that the radio playing in the background does not interfere with concentration, it would be good to try studying without the radio. It may even improve concentration. It is worth a try.—ED.
The Catholic Church and Salvation
In your issue of August 22, 1984, page 28, you stated that the Catholic Church claims to be the way of salvation for hundreds of millions of people. The Catholic Church does not claim to be the way of salvation but teaches that Jesus Christ is the way to salvation. The Church is an instrument used by God to lead people to the One who saves, namely, Jesus. I urge you to stop putting down other churches and concentrate on the gift of love.
S. H., California
In the “New Catholic Encyclopedia” by The Catholic University of America, under the subject “Salvation, Necessity of the Church For,” it states that one comes into contact with God’s arrangement to be saved through faith and “through the Catholic Church, which is the Mystical Body of Christ, outside of which there is no salvation.” A little further on it states: “The necessity of the Church for salvation is explicitly defined by the Church as a revealed truth. . . . Thus, Boniface VIII asserts in his bull ‘Unam sanctam’ that outside the Church of Christ there can be neither salvation nor remission of sins.” We believe it to be in the interests of all men to be informed of the true state of affairs, including those areas wherein church organizations or their leaders do not conform to the teaching of Christ. If people are taught to worship God in a way that conflicts with true Bible teaching, and which he will not accept, it is surely showing them love to inform them of the facts, even as Jesus did, as recorded in Matthew 15:8, 9.—ED.