God and Country

Two letters appeared recently in the Cleveland Plain Dealer. I have reproduced them below. The second comes from a lifelong friend of mine, and it makes a lot of sense.

• Letter #1--Regarding the Nov. 8 letters "Government and religion shouldn't mix": This is a Christian nation! So stated the Supreme Court, by unanimous decision, on Feb. 29, 1892. In fact, in 1787, during the rancorous debates over a national Constitution, Benjamin Franklin reminded his colleagues of God's help and intervention during the Revolutionary War. He initiated daily prayer to ask for God's assistance and blessings in their deliberations.
  The Founding Fathers were Christians, who believed and read the Bible, and accepted Jesus Christ as their personal savior. (Yes, a few were Deists.) George Washington took the oath of office with his hand on an open Bible, ending with the statement, "I swear, so help me God."
  Good government requires Christianity: Do good. Do justly. Help your neighbor. Obey the law. (Don't kill, don't steal, don't lie, don't covet, don't take a bribe). Do unto others as you would have done unto you.
  Wouldn't you like our government officials to follow these precepts? For more information on America's Christian heritage, see americanvision.org. RON MASEK, Strongsville
• Letter #2--In Sunday's Letters was this statement, "Good government requires Christianity. Do good. Do justly. Help your neighbor. Obey the law. (Don't kill, don't steal, don't lie, don't covet, don't take a bribe). Do unto others as you would have done unto you." Christianity does not have an exclusive patent on these ideals. Christianity does not own a monopoly.
  I have lived my life trying to follow ideals like these, not because a higher power has told me to, or because I'm threatened with eternal punishment if I don't follow them, but because it is the moral and ethical way to live and treat others. It is the right thing to do - the right way to live. That is just as true for non-Christians and non-believers.
  Ethical, moral, just and compassionate living does not require a religion to teach those qualities to humankind. They are qualities that should be practiced just because we are human and we live with other humans. The notion that religion is the only way to teach those morals is wrong. BRUCE FRUMKER, Cleveland Heights

I agree with Bruce that we need not embrace a specific religion in order to practice ‘ethical, moral, just and compassionate living.’ In fact, many of the Christians we have elected to offices in Washington DC today seem to be doing exactly the opposite.

I do not subscribe to the idea that the US is, or should be, a Christian nation. The Constitution forbids the establishment of any religion as the state religion. Furthermore, we could never agree on which brands of Christianity are acceptable.

But each of us must have the necessary imperative and discipline to teach morality, ethics, and compassion to our offspring. Organized religions provide a structure that enables and enhances that teaching mission—they are not necessary to the running of the government, but rather they help citizens to raise the type of people we need for future leaders.

I strongly oppose those people who would remove references to God from our pledge, our currency, our national documents, or our monuments. They go much too far. I do not find Allah, or Buddha, or another diety to be offensive. Nor should atheists or people of other religions, if they are intelligent, rational, and sane, find God to be offensive. I have never believed that the Government insists that I worship God. Instead, the Government acknowledges that our founders and leaders were and are inspired and guided by their God and His principles. And that's the way it should be.