I hope you've noticed the nifty little feature called "We Got Mail," which appears in Sunday Viewpoints. It's a list of the Top 5 topics on the minds of those who wrote to Everybody's Column (our letters to the editor) that week.
The Top 5 is a mix of local, world, state and national issues, and usually you'll find criticism of the war in Iraq at the top of the list. But last Sunday, something unusual crept onto the list - criticism of a recent God Squad column.
Readers were upset with the May 12 column (it appeared in the Weekend Life section) that dealt with the issue of donating a body to science.
Authors Rabbi Marc Gellman and Monsignor Tom Hartman wrote that donating a body to a medical school "is a more difficult ethical and religious call," than the donation of organs. They had other concerns, as well.
Enough readers were upset by the rabbi and priest's comments that the controversy rose to No. 3 on the "We Got Mail" list for the week. Two of the letters can be read at these links.
Buffalo has a strong religious tradition, and this isn't the first time the God Squad column ruffled some feathers among the faithful. I doubt it'll be the last time.