Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.
-- John F. Kennedy
Wow. I wrote a reply to an opinion column in the Times Journal with no wish for it to be published and they went ahead and published it with my name attached. It was about religious freedom and church-state separation, so I expect to find bricks in my window any day now. I sent it as a private correspondence between myself and the article's author and instead it was published in the opinion column. Below is the original article of an anonymous author named IC Toowell (reputed to be the editor of the paper), my reply, his rebuttal, and my counter-rebuttal. So far my counter rebuttal has not yet been published and indeed I hope it is not. While I stick firmly to my beliefs I find that attaching my name to them in this small community might make life very difficult for me.
IC Toowell's Original Article
A great day today, the temperature is to reach near 80. But wait, we just heard on the news, cold this weekend and maybe snow. Surely we did not hear correctly.
The Law is the Law
So if the US government determines that it is against the law for the words "under God" to be on our money, then, so be it.
And if that same government decides that the "Ten Commandments" are not to be used in or on a government installation, then, so be it.
We say, "so be it," because we would like to be a law abiding US citizen.
We say, "so be it," because we would like to think that smarter people than we are in positions to make good decisions. We would like to think that those people have the American publics best interests at heart.
But,
Since we can't pray to God, can't Trust in God and cannot post His Commandments in Government buildings, We don't believe the Government and its employees should participate in the Easter and Christmas celebrations which honor the God that our government is eliminating from many facets of American life.
We'd like my mail delivered on Christmas, Good Friday, Thanksgiving & Easter. After all, it's just another day.
We'd like the "U.S. Supreme Court to be in session on Christmas,
Good Friday, Thanksgiving & Easter as well as Sundays." After all, it's just another day.
We'd like the Senate and the House of Representatives to not have to worry about getting home for the "Christmas Break." After all it's just another day.
We're thinking that a lot of our taxpayer dollars could be saved, if all government offices & services would work on Christmas, Good Friday & Easter. It shouldn't cost any overtime since those would be just like any other day of the week to a government that is trying to be "politically correct."
My (now published) Response
In the most recent article by I.C. Toowell the author intimates that americans are somehow denied prayer and religion. He makes the illogical leap that the government is trying to strip religion out of everyday life and that it's all being done in the spirit of political correctness. I would like to contact him and inform him of the first amendment and the last 200 years jurisprudence. Our government cannot and should not show preference toward one religion or religion over irreligion. The ten commandments cannot be put in our schools and courthouses because that is government money endorsing a specific religion. As we have seen through even the most cursory study of history, when religion and government mix blood will flow. We already have a strong dominionist movement in this country that seeks to make it illegal to be anything other than Christian. We already have a bigoted theocratic ex-president who said that atheists should not be citizens. Does this IC really want government and religion in bed together? To put up the ten commandments is to say that the state prefers this religion. Not only that but due to the multiple versions the state will be choosing a specific sect. How would you like to live in a country that says we support this religion, and yours is evil.
Individual still, as they always have, retain the right to practice freely. Pray in school or at work, so long as you are not using a government funded office to force that prayer on others. This is what the framers had in mind. Mill and Locke were the inspiration for our Republic and were both driven by the failure of state religion and religious politics that riddled europe a few centuries ago. The establishment clause was put in place to prevent just such a thing as ten commandments and mandatory school prayer. In the letter of Thomas Jefferson we see him say that it is not the business of government, at any level, to infringe on the right to conscience. James Madison, in the federalist papers, laid out a strong case for a secular government for all Americans. American is a nation of many, a melting pot of ideas. We have christians, muslims, jews, deists, and atheists; much as we did when this nation was founded. Tell IC to read this and tell me he wants his religion branded on government land and money and I will tell him that he not only violates our constitutional rights but the wishes of the founders. To be in favor of such theocratic endorsement of religion by government is not only illegal, it is un-American.
IC's Rebuttal
A letter on this page shows that Ole I. C. really got this one fellow in hot pursuit to tell us just how wrong we were and even how un-American we were because of our references last week to having the Ten Commandments hanging in our schools.
If supporting our Christian belief justifies this gentleman to call us un-American, then in his mind, he does not know just how un-American we really are.
If we had the authority, not only would we have prayer in school and Ten Commandments on the wall, we would likely have church service in the high school gym every Monday morning, we could see every child exposed to the Ten Commandments and we would even have an officer of the court handing out Bibles at the courthouse door.
If we did these things there very likely would not be as great a need for so many jails in this country. We very likely would not see so many young people killing their parents and so disrespectful of their teachers and leaders. Perhaps there would not be so many gangs among our abandoned youths. There might not even be so many so dependent upon our government.
This gentlemen speaks of our government money. This is taxpayers money and we do not believe our framers intended to establish a system and a society such as we are witnessing today.
We so appreciate the references to the wisdom of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. But, we would like to introduce the words of my Ole Grandpa as we stood one early morning in the hog lot while he said, “Son, if you expect the government to lead you out of a mess like this hog pen you had better wear you hip boots because for sure the stuff will get mighty deep.”
While we strongly disagree with this gentleman that we are un-American, we do agree that he is entitled to his opinion. Plus, we will be happy to add his name to our prayer list.
My (Unpublished) Counter-Rebuttal
Nowhere did I say that being a Christian makes you un-American. I will assume for the sake of argument that was an honest mistake. What makes one un-American is to force your religious view son others. I find it hilarious that in one breath you say that we cannot rely on the government, a sentiment that is reasonable, and then say that you want that same government to not only endorse one specific religion but to force it on our young people. Government must be neutral to the question of religion or we will come right back around to the absurdity of centuries past. It is the secular philosophy of our forefathers and Europe’s reformers that saved us from the theocratic excesses we see in the Middle East.
Just imagine if you will what would happen if you had your way. First we would have to Jewish children, Hindu children, Muslim children, and atheist children forced into a religious service that they, nor their parents, approve of. Which version of the Ten Commandments will you put on the wall? What prayer will you use? Will it be a Baptists prayer, a catholic prayer, or an orthodox prayer? What will be the penalty for not praying? How long until you can’t exempt your children from this indoctrination? How long before the state religion is not your religion? How long until being a non-Christian deprives you of rights? How long until it’s illegal to be anything other than a Christian?
Religion is a private matter and one that is solely the choice of the person. We have prayer in school now the way it should be, the choice of the student. Enforcing religion does not make a person righteous and it is not the job of the government or schools to teach morality. Stop trying to blame the schools for violence and place the responsibility squarely where it belongs, on the parents whose job it is to teach right from wrong. Do you think schools should be telling children what to believe? You claim you do, but I wonder if you would be so bold if the school was teaching Islam, or scientology, or a brand of Christianity opposed to your own. The right to conscience is inviolate and to have our government not only violate that right but also our constitutional and jurisprudence in order to force your beliefs on others is un-American.
