Religion

IN THEORY:


For and against bottled water

Some religious groups, such as the National Coalition of American Nuns, are calling for followers to refrain from drinking bottled water. They say a God-given resource such as water is not something to be packaged and sold while access to drinking water is so scarce in the poorest regions of the world. Water should be free for all, they say. Bottled-water advocates say targeting bottled-water companies is misguided, given the many products that use water, and will not lead to solutions to resource scarcity in poor regions of the world. What do you think?



I personally do not drink bottled water or cook with bottled water. There is, of course, an ongoing debate concerning the benefits of bottled water versus tap water. It seems to revolve around cost, quality, taste, health benefits and truthful advertising. I find it fascinating to see how many people are buying water and sucking on a bottle as if they were going to dehydrate in the next hour. They pay good money for a commodity that is free and very available.

I would not boycott bottled water because I think a person should be free to buy it if he wishes and I don't see how this would bring healthful water to villages and people who live in poor places. It would be good if you could convince people to give up something and spend the saved money on some better cause. It is often recommended during the penitential season of Lent to give up smoking, alcohol, movies or dining out and give that money to the poor. That's a good thing because you become a better person and you also help others. It's hard to see how giving up bottled water would help to increase the water supply to those who need it.



THE REV. GENE FRILOT



Pastor Emeritus



Incarnation Catholic Church



Glendale