Recently, it was reported in the News that the Society of Separationists threatened a lawsuit if the menorah placed in a public square in downtown Salt Lake City is not removed. As a non-Jew, I suppose a menorah is supposed to be offensive to me. Are we to allow these atheists to force their religion on us?
How did we stray so far from the original intention of the framers of the Constitution to a system of government-supported religious intolerance, atheism, anti-Semitism and bigotry? One of my best friends is a devout Muslim. I don't eat ham at his house and he doesn't drink coffee at my house and we get along just fine. Why should anyone be offended by a menorah, or a cross or a Nativity scene?At a time when crime rates are growing in the United States, it is time for the public and the government to recognize the role churches play. Government should work with the churches to teach values that prevent crime and not just punish crime. Government needs the churches. They play an important role in our society in many other ways.
Young people need to be taught tolerance and religious values if we are to escape the violent acts of bigotry, racism, anti-Semitism and religious intolerance that are sweeping the globe.
Gordon Fisher
Woods Cross