European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 14, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 10 letters the stars and stripes Friday november 14,1989 readers comment on politics and religion. _. J i i t i. I Fri � Xvi Mimi. Hrine4 shout a Lack of tension in marriage 1 kind of read with great Inie Resi the letter from the Reader who believes thai politics and religion do mix. If she really feels Ihil Way. 1 think she should show the rest of us a Good example of the results of the mixture. The Only ones i can think of Are cases such As Iran and Many South american countries where religion and government Are holding the reins of Power together. Wilh these Fine examples to look up to i can l under stand Why anyone would t want to have the Christian slates of America or maybe the jewish Stales of America or maybe even some other religion but i Don t think the other non Christian groups would have enough Power 10 do that. When America was founded Thomas Jefferson. John Adams George Washington and others had Good reason for insuring thai Church and state remained completely separate. They were afraid thai the same corruption Thev were escaping from would follow them to their new Home. They wanted to guarantee the freedoms they desire for and others would not be taken away by any Power group no matter How Good its intentions were. I can see an ugly trend shaping up in America no with the increase in Power of such groups As the so called people for the american Way and inc moral majority. I guess the american Way they re talking about is of Cir Ameri Carp Way and not the Way of the other 240 million americans. It s Gratifying to read thai Pat Robertson is sincere. Remember Reading the same thing about some of the other sincere people in history such As Adolph Hitler Jim Jones and those in Tribly sincere people involved in the inquisition. Maybe if Pat succeeds in getting the Job. Hell Beable to bring Back some of those institutions to punish anyone who is not As american As he is. The Case in american courts now involving Tennes see school textbooks is a Good example of religion involvement in an area it does t belong if they feel that they Musi raise their children to believe in a Reli Gion Hal s i hirer business and their responsibility. To think they can censor the books of the rest of the Stu dents is. I think going too far. One Book they even wanted banned because it says you can be saved even if you do not belong to their religion. Noah j. Simoneaux Amberg Germany America was first settled mostly by religious Refu gees seeking the right to worship As they saw in. Nearly All of these refugees were of the Jude chistian Trade the colonies became a Nalion our National founders realized that in order to protect the right to religious Freedom All religious thought must be respected and the Church and stale separated. The duty of a Good government is to Best provide for the common Good while Al the same Lime protect ing minority rights and the right to peaceful dissent. In order to project the rights of the minority the slate must be tolerant of moral beliefs that do Noi threaten he common safety and Well being of the Overall pub Lic. In some ways. The obligation of the stale and the mandate of the Church Are the same. The Church serv ing As the hands of god on Earth is to help those who cannot properly help themselves. While the slate As a matter of policy should also Lake All practical Steps to insure a decent Standard of life for All of its citizens. Bui government is operated under the rules of poll lies the arts of negotiation and Compromise. And the Church is ruled by a commitment to an established Selof moral and spiritual teachings Wilh Little room for Compromise or negotiation for not negotiator Compromise with their own god if the Follower has slate has the difficult Mission of abiding by the wishes of the majority protecting the minority and regulating some questions of morality without Mylener ing too much with individual Freedom. The Church does not have this Burden for As a matter of personal Choice individuals can either accept or reject the teachings of a specific Church. When an individual accepts a religion he or she commits himself to the Rul of their Faith. When a person enters the Goyim men uial person commit himself 10 serve All the people Ali rough the channels of the government respecting Many different ways of use. Whether the person i a conservative like pal Robertson or a Liberal like ireae Jackson this Active Mem Ber of the religious Community it torn Between spread in the beliefs we protecting the rights of individuals to have differing views of morality. Members of inc clergy who have made a commit ment to god to spread a religion have made a lifelong decision 10 serve god and should Noi seek a govern mental position which May Force hem to Compromise their beliefs in order to protect individual Liberty. In their Wisdom the authors of the cons Tulion created a separation of the Church and stale to protect to h the Church from interference and the individual from having a specific Faith impose its caching upon an entire nation Region or Community. While As members of a free society religious Leader shave the right to enter the political Arena it is my right to believe that i Csc religious personalities should Noibe in the political Arena but instead committed solely to the service of cod and Mankind through Llie Church. Spec. Patrick j. Whitman Ansback Germany first in reference to the article. "7 families who objected to school Lex books win ii would seem thai a judge has said Hal anyone May Cousy a school system to set up special classes and Purchase special texts Al additional expense simply because the parents do Noi want their children exposed to a viewpoint Hal docs Noi tit the parents ideas. T i y Hose children they will not have inc Joy of discovery thai i had in asking my parents about another religion and having the tenets of that Failli show me and a comparison done with our own. I can t imagine a High school literature class without a discussion of Anne Frank and the courage of hat Young girl and her growth to a maturity far beyond he years and then her tragic death at the hands of a Politi Cal group that would not and could not tolerate contrary ideas. The seven families went on to say hat the wizard of of was objectionable because it said that courage intelligence and compassion Are personally developed rather than god Given. I seem to remember Reading thai Book and then discussing How Whai was show was that we All have to develop the Lac its thai have been Given us the courage the intelligence and Rheco passion Hal is in us must be coached they do Noi Bloom wholly on their own. Again i pity those children missing Hal Bui evermore i pity the parents thai Are afraid in answer the questions engendered by Hose stories i cannot envision a Dogma so lacking in Faith in itself that it cannot lol Erale input from an outside world. 1 question in my mind if the next step for these parents will be the demand that the offensive books be destroyed. Next the it scr politics and religion do mix says Lei me say thai in pan i agree. I Don l Sec Why Faith in a divine Power should preclude anyone from entering the political ring. Where i disagree is when she welcomes pal Robertson s entering the race Tor president. She Speaks of his Faith and his belief thai he would be held accountable in a hereafter for his actions. Thus she says he will be More Likely to withstand corruption and hold to integrity. That May be so but i remember Reading of a fellow called Cotton Mather who also believed in that accounting. It was his writings that led to the Salem Wilch trials. Mather preached not to suffer a Witch and As for the accountability to a vacillating constituency it is called democracy and i like it. The writer ills us that the notes thai liberals tend 10label anything that does not fit their beliefs As Nar Row minded i would rather have someone Label things As narrow minded than have them destroy or outlaw thai which does i Fil their views. Whal really bothers me though is Hal it is the peo ple that seem o have this new religious Fervour that want to stamp out the use of such books As the Wiz Ard of of and others that violate their Christian it is Iii intolerance to things thai Are not Christian that to me smacks of bigotry. A religious person can1 be a i think a lot of Pasi politicians would Lake exception to thai sentence. One can be religious without being a we Way a Tsuan. One of the great things about America has been Halb tolerated All religions. 1 would like it to stay that a the third and final thing was an article Pat Rob Truon proceeds on Campaign "88 with god at he Polit ical now in fairness to the Rev. Robertson i scares me. Jagod can Tes him to buy a to station an then Ull him the Price Whai would happen if goo Lold him to bomb Russia How. As to the Rev. Robertson s quote. When wives submit 10 husband that kind of relationship brings about i " 1 Flike having a partner to discuss decisions with. As far As the Public school by slim goes if there. Robertson is calling them communist and humanist because they Don t Leach his Brand of religion then it looks to me As if he is a bit intolerant. And. Yes. Narrow minded. I look at he last quote and see bigotry. I am sur that there Are Many non Chr milians who Luid their lives on the line in the wars our nation has fought units 200-Pius years Hal would Lake car Caplinn to the remark that born again christians maybe feel More strongly Thyn others do about love of god and love of comment that. The intention of it lord is thai his people should reign and Rule Wilh shows me a Man that. If elected president. Could not swear to uphold the Constitution. We Are guaranteed religious Freedom under Hal ton Lilu bigotry As he espouses in Hose last two statements would not let him uphold Hal Freedom. The Rev. Robertson is a Leader of a group of peo ple who claim to be Follower of the Judco Chris an beliefs. Yet the a same people will Noi tolerate an dissent Wilh inc narrow interpretation on desc tenets. Nazi Germany would not tolerate dissent either nordics inc soviet Union. 1 for one do Noi wish to live under a theocracy especially one thai is so intolerant. Raf Crotis Teton England picture the following horrors Only members of the party can hold office. I you Are Noi a member of the party no Only can you not hold office but the Job you have held for the past 11 years is taken away and your family goes without food. The1 Gib Isnow occupied by a Good member of the parly. Since Only party members can hold office the take advantage of the situation by making Laws Hal re Siril or prohibit inc activities of non party Mem a Good american you say Why. This must be the soviet what if inc prerequisite for party membership is Hal you must by of a up Cicilie religious belief Why. This Mem fax. this is in response to inc idler writer who endorsed the candidacy of pal Robertson. This is tilt Pat Robertson the electronic evangelist who advocated a religion lest for Public Olli appears that he writer miss cd inc Issue. The Issue is not a que lion of Robertson s religious convictions being compatible Wilh politics it is Robertson s politics thai Are incompatible Wilh our own National gnats and inc . Constitution. Less than 300 years ago our nation Nai Tolani cd largely by refugees from religious i Nikrant c. Are Enow going to elect a Man to office who can require a christianity lest with an executive order and eos our Nalion three centuries of Progress the greatest evils in history have Ami committed in the name of religion. World history it full of exam Ples of atrocities such As the dark age of Spanish inquisition the crusades and the obliteration of altars. Even the holocaust was directed in pan against people because they were of a different religious be Lief than the general population. These stand As mule testimony of Man s inhuman Ity to his fellow Man when spurred on by religious Teal. It is the religious zealot that is no open minded. Because he sees everything in the Content of some plan from Deily rather than reality. Why this assault on a Man who said his god told him to run for the presidency of the Mosi powerful nation in the world absolute revulsion and fear Tam terrified thai the form of Airo cily would be too Subtle for most of us to comprehend and thai Cor Orwell s "1 984 would be Only four years off la Mark. I am personally an Ultra constr alive but i very tolerant of the rights of others to have . Thi includes their right to serve in up lie office even though they Are jewish. Moslem at isl or undecided As along As they Are the Best pen for the am Here in Europe to help in inc common de sense of our right 10 be different and personally Willdie before 1 see someone s rights abridged Etc tue they Don t believe in the same supreme being a we ruling party. That includes the right la think � Wil writer if Robertson is elected can "1984" be it Al no Toni
