What’s Being Written....Letters to Editor

Abilene Reporter News

All-Christian nation

November 24, 2004

When our founding fathers wrote, ''Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,'' they obviously could not imagine a world where Muslims, people of other faiths and even the godless were allowed to participate in the government of our nation and pervert our laws toward their own seditious ends.

Our revered founding fathers intended that our nation adhere solely to biblical principles. Our laws are built on the bedrock of Christian values, and society will surely crumble if we allow our laws to differ even one jot or tittle from those of the Bible. We are God's people, after all, and we must ensure that this remains a godly nation.

Given that we are a Christian nation and any deviance from Christian principles will weaken us, the expression of any non-Christian ideology will hurt America and is, in fact, an act of treason.

Surely, the question we should be asking is this: Should we criminalize non-Christian worship and the values that accompany it, or is it enough to simply exclude the godless from participation in our political and legal systems?

Let's dispense with the pretense that surrounds the debate over the separation of church and state and cut right to the chase. The United States should amend our Constitution to prohibit the expression of any non-Christian religious belief or, at the very least, disenfranchise those whose beliefs are not in keeping with the morals and values of our great nation.

J.R. Patton
Abilene

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His 'own image'?

November 30, 2004

I cannot begin to describe my disappointment with the Nov. 24 letter by J.R. Patton, ''All-Christian America.''

Since Patton appears to want to remake America in his ''own image,'' I'm saddened that he did not give us a complete list of all the other things he cannot tolerate. I'm sure there are plenty of other things he could add to the list to outlaw. How about people of other races? How about all those people who speak another language besides his? Perhaps we could also find some people who belong to another political party, as well.

While we're at it, how about those who read books that he doesn't like? Shall we outlaw all the things he doesn't personally approve of?

Sorry, but when the founding fathers of this nation concluded their work, they didn't personally hand him the keys, and that is very good news for the rest of us.

Jerry Hollingsworth
Abilene
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U.S. should avoid path of religious fanaticism
December 12, 2004

I am one of those rare Germans who are very observant of religious fanaticism of every kind, including what we Germans can only call ''pseudo-Christian madness.'' Mr. Patton starts with the false claim that the U.S. founding fathers were Christians and intended to build a Christian nation. The evidence against that claim has been produced countless times, but fundamentalists cling to their delusions because they have nothing else to cling to. He continues with the statement that ''non-Christian ideology will hurt America.'' Aaah, but what is ''non-Christian''? The Bible claims that one of Jesus' central teachings was ''love your neighbor, love your enemy. Love your enemy - think about that. But every time I take a look ''across the big pond,'' I feel a sense of disquietude at what is called ''Christianity'' in the US. All that hatred and bigotry ... did not the U.S. Christians first come up with the slogan ''What would Jesus do?''? Indeed, what would Jesus do? Preach that thou shall hate all who don't believe like you do? If so, ask yourself ... where is there any difference between you and the Muslim terrorists?!

By the way, as Mr. Patton demands the banning of any non-Christian belief from the U.S., all you readers please consider this: You Americans have been comparatively lucky. Most of the bloodshed and hatred committed in the name of the Lord has taken place here in ''old Europe'' before there even was a United States of America. In fact, it was the two of the ''big three'' monotheistic belief systems (Christianity, Islam, Judaism) that have by far the most blood on their hands. Inquisition, witch burnings, crusades, force-conversions at sword point - if people were killed without any rational reason, Christians and Muslims did it. How well off would you be indeed with only ''Christian'' beliefs? Christians all across the world can't agree on the ''right way'' to believe. Who are the ''True Christians''? Let's face it, in a way the United States is ill, and the disease is called ''religious fanaticism.'' I see no significant difference between your fundamentalists and the Islamic ones. Only that the U.S. happens to have the biggest armed forces and the most nuclear warheads in the world. Mr. Patton sees ''unbelievers'' as the cause of all evil? Well ... if anything will eventually be the downfall of the U.S. as a whole, it will be people like him. If they ever get absolute power in your nation, you will see that. We Germans learned our lesson about the consequences of fanaticism. We learned it the hard way. And thankfully, the U.S. helped us learn it. I honestly fear that the time will come soon when we can repay that debt ... because then, the small majority of your voters will have created a situation where it's irrevocably ''the U.S. against the world.'' Don't underestimate the power of the whole world. With some cynicism, I dare say ''We tried it once, and we can tell you, the world is very strong.''
Thore Schmechtig,
Gifhorn, Germany

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With the heretics

December 7, 2004

All too often, I can only conclude that the depths of human intolerance and ignorance are bottomless pits.

There was an appalling letter to the editor in the Nov. 24 Abilene Reporter-News, ''All-Christian nation.'' Its premise is such an insane attack upon the Bill of Rights that I first thought it must be a very sick joke.

Apparently, the author's self-professed ''Christian values'' are such that he seriously advocates constitutionally outlawing as treason any practice, expression or utterance of a non-Christian religious belief in the United States.

He specifically named Muslims but included ''people of other faiths'' and the ''godless'' to be among our country's internal enemies, those who pervert what should be laws based solely upon the Bible and erode the Christian fundamental bedrock of our nation with their lies and sedition.

I seem to recall that treason is a hanging offense.

Rather than disenfranchising Americans whom certain Christians find to be offensive, why not follow the precedent of Nazi Germany? Round up the heretics into death camps.

Paul Suddath
Abilene

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Radical thinking

December 7, 2004

J.R. Patton and his ''All-Christian nation'' letter of Nov. 24 is enough to scare anyone to death. His thinking is no different from the Middle East Muslim extremists. They hate Christians and Jews, and Patton's ideas show hate for everyone who is not a Christian.

The sad part about it is that his ideas are the thinking of the right-wing religious groups of this country, who make up much of the Republican Party.

It is time for ordinary people of this country, both nationally and locally, to stand up against this radical right-wing ''religious'' thinking.

A.J. Dickerson
Brownwood

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