April 8, 2001

"Hand me a Retractor, Nurse."
   by mike <mike@pfft.net>

This isn't really an 'article'. It doesn't even qualify as an 'informational leaflet.' You usually find this type of writing in a small, 1"x1" box on the inside front cover of your local newspaper: it's called a retraction.

This happens when a reporter decides (or is told) that his writings are either factually inaccurate, biased or otherwise inflammatory. While PFFT.net is not a major newspaper (or any paper, for that matter), I feel it necessary to comment on the barrage of criticism and correspondence I have received regarding my article on Lent. Many people considered my article an unfounded attack on religious dogma. They may be right. One individual went so far as to label me 'the antichrist of the twenty-first century.' Flattered though I may be, I think he went a little far. You're entitled to your opinions, and I am entitled to mine.

I did not accuse Catholics [or other religious, God-fearing people] of 'being stupid' or 'wasting time' because they participate in Lent. I wrote the article because I do not understand it. I am not a religious person and have never pretended to be. However, I do not agree with most people's reaction to this article. "Weekly Insight" is a column in which I voice my opinion on an issue. It does not say I research each topic for weeks or that I sit and ponder the impact of my article on each and every possible reader. I can't.

"Weekly Insight" is a forum in which I share my gut opinions on many diverse subjects [that occasionally overlap] without much else. I have an email address set aside for people to complain or comment on my opinions. But they are opinions, not facts, not the word of God. And by the way, using "God" in an article does not mean I'm religious - it means the word has found its way into my vernacular.

I apologize to those who took offense to what I wrote (but even still, lighten up). If I find 'the joy that God brings' someday, that's fantastic. But until then, I'll continue to write what I feel on the subject - and if you have a deep-rooted moral problem with that, there's always the Back button on your browser and a Delete button for my email.

Published: April 8, 2001
Editor: stacy