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Letter to the Editor
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Jacob Morris thinks the Christian god deserves center stage in government, arguing that the state is a gift from god, and therefore the state owes god its allegiance. While I respect the faith that is dear to Mr. Morris, I disagree with his view of how our government should function.
Morris suffers from a delusion that many American Christians share: that we would be better off in a Christian theocracy than a secular democracy. Most Christians don’t phrase it that way, but it’s what they mean.
They believe that the Christian god should be at the center of government, that Christian moral codes and Christian ideas about the origins of life be taught in state schools, and would bar anyone who is not Christian from holding public office. What is that but a theocracy? Meanwhile, they ignore important facts. First, that theocratic governments are by nature oppressive and violent, no matter what religion is behind them.
Second, that if they got their way, there would immediately be infighting over which version of Christianity could impose its will on the others.
Finally, that their attitudes disregard the faith or non-faith of non-Christians. To them, it would be perfectly alright for Hindu parents who pay taxes to have their money go towards the state forcing a religion they disagree with onto their children. Christians have a way of demanding that others respect their faith while refusing to return that respect. Christians in this country need to stop demanding special treatment. The constitution gives everyone the right to practice their faith without fear of suppression, not to force their religion on everyone else.
It’s time that Christians stopped demanding government conform to Christianity and start respecting that secular government has given them the freedom of religion they would so blithely take from others.
Naomi Washburn is a senior studying English.