Battle of the letters

I occasionally write a letter to the editor of the Bloomington, Indiana Herald Times. Most of them are in response to letters from fundamentalists Christians. They say one should never match wits with an unarmed person but sometimes the temptation is just too great to resist.

Below is the latest exchange. First, the letter from a person who goes by the name of "Jerree". Can't make up my mind whether the name "Jerree is masculine, feminine or whether his/her parents couldn't spell. No matter. Its irrelevant.

THE RIGHT TO BELIEVE
To the editor:
I have seen a steady and insidious plan that began in the 1950s to put in motion removal of religion from every aspect of our everyday lives.
Maybe if religion had been left in place the moral and ethical character of this great country wouldn’t have wasted away.
Perhaps there would have been no Wall Street collapse, no mortgage meltdown, no repeal of TV censorship and no trillions in bail-outs.
I think I would have been better served to have said, for those who put their faith in nothing but themselves, “I choose to put my faith in a divine creator that has made everything in this marvelous world and the heavens beyond.” You, sir, have the right to believe it or not, as you see fit.
My family has fought for that right in three wars. My grandfather and father would be appalled to see the state of the United States today.
I am 62 years old and I have seen this go from the land of the free to the land of the burdened.
Jerree Richardson
Bloomington

My response:

To the editor:
Jerree Richardson seems alarmed that there is a “sinister plan going all the way back to the 1950s with the aim of removing religion from every aspect of our everyday lives.” (Dec. 8, “The Right to Believe.”) Let me alleviate those fears.
— In 1952, Truman signed a bill mandating a National Day of Prayer. Although it clearly violates the First Amendment, it still stands today.

— Here in Indiana, it seems half our license plates proclaim “In God We Trust.”

— Our paper money has “In God We Trust” inscribed on it.

— The Herald-Times publishes a page each week dedicated solely to religion.

— There are 234 churches within a 20-mile radius of Indianapolis and at least 50 within a 10-mile radius of Bloomington.

— Sunday TV is inundated with preachers drip, drip, dripping revelation disguised as truth into the brains of their “flock.”

— In order to win election to public office one must profess a belief in a supernatural being.

If this is the removal of religion from our everyday lives, what would it be like if it were restored?

Charlie Sitzes
Bloomington

Here are some of the follow-up comments to my letter.

DorisTuesday, December 14, 2010: 9:57 amMore from Doris

Rating: +7
Can Ms Richardson read? She should-
Newness is discovered and reported every day. Does she listen to news? Does she try to grow in her Christianity by attempting to know more about it and understand where the bible she uses to live her life actually came from? Surely she studies her bible and uses reference works to do so. Surely she does.

There is no external enemy. Life is a process and we are meant to grow. When we grow in our thinking, we grow away from the concepts we were taught when younger. That's what is happening to religion. Religious people themselves are learning more and walking away. No one is driving them away or conspiring against them. It's like walking comes after crawling, running comes after walking, etc. Some minds refuse to walk or run because they are afraid and comfortable in their crawl ruts.

Thanks for encouraging our growth, Charlie.

Charlie SitzesTuesday, December 14, 2010: 11:09 amMore from Charlie Sitzes

Rating: +9
Thanks Doris.
I would take it one step farther. There is also no external, invisible, ephemeral "friend" that is coming to "save" us. We are in this alone, whether we want to admit it or not. Its up to us. It is not helpful to teach our young children, whose minds have not yet developed enough to master critical thinking and logic that Jesus comes in convenient wafer form.