Letters

Church & State, Jun 1999

Biblical Law AuthorIzes Stoning Rebellious Youths

I have one word to summarize my reaction to the Rev. William Einwechter -- Amen! ("Spare The Rock, Spoil The Child, Says Reconstructionist," People & Events, March Church & State).

Your problem is not with the Pennsylvania preacher but with God. His infallible Word calls for stoning, not some right-wing radical.

God's justice rewards law-keepers (the victims) and punishes law-breakers (the criminals). Man's justice protects the "rights" of criminals at the expense of their victims. A rebellious youth (the criminal), stoned when authorized by biblical law, will not live to rob, kill and rape law-abiding citizens (the victims). Of course, post-modern theologians would want this criminal to grow up to be president of the United States one day.

Your article takes Rev. Einwechter's conclusion out of context. Read his entire article, and you will see that stoning is a last resort for a certain type of offender, not the first resort for misbehaving children. But the problem with many post-modern theologians is that they don't form opinions in context -- that would require reading the entire Bible for context and accepting all of the Bible as a standard for today in all spheres of life.

Christian Reconstructionists do not reject democracy, but believe that a "democratic" reformation will enable a democratic majority to reconstruct American society based upon God's standard of law, which changes not, rather than man's law which is situational and inconsistent.

-Robert E. Clayton, Elder

Christ's Covenant Church

Front Royal, Va.

Political Evangelists Threaten Our Democracy

TV evangelists like Pat Robertson are nothing more than glib politicians who twist the gospel to serve their own political agenda of religious rule by bigotry.

While referred to as the "Religious Right" or the "Christian Coalition," this movement is neither "Christian" nor "right." Christianity was founded on the principles of tolerance, caring, charity, understanding, forgiveness and love.

The goal of Robertson and his allies is to amend the Constitution to change our democracy into a theocracy. To do this they attack the First Amendment provision for separation of church and state.

The Constitution leaves religion to individual conviction and respects all religions equally. It is hardly American to grant special rights and recognition to only one religion, especially one that attacks the constitutional rights of choice and privacy.

The "Religious Right" movement in America is like other militant fundamentalist religions in the world that pit government against government and people against people. If we are to progress as our Constitution intends, we need to be conscious of the ramifications of amending it. It has served us well for over 200 years and still motivates us toward being a free and prosperous society. Why change it?

-Kepa Cho

Oakland, Calif.

Church Tax Spells Trouble

Your editorial on church-state arrangements in Europe ("Tearing Down The Church-State Wall," March Church & State) quotes praise from the Boston University sociologist Peter Berger for the church tax in Germany and says that people there "can opt out by filing a statement with the authorities."

A friend of mine, a university professor in Switzerland, where the laws are similar, did just that and was told darkly by the bureaucrat that "there are consequences for doing this." My friend doesn't give a hoot, but others are surely intimidated by such laws.

There is a long European tradition of having to declare your religion publicly for tax purposes. Not so long ago, those tax lists were used by the Germans and their helpers to round up Jews for the Holocaust.

Religion in the U.S. is now no more formal than a club membership; the instant it becomes something more and follows you around like your birth date, we are all lost. What people give churches is already tax-deductible; that should be enough.

-John E. Ullmann

Professor Emeritus of

Management

Hofstra University

Hempstead, N.Y.

Religious Conflict Can Be Deadly

Whenever I turn on the news, there are people killing each other over religious differences. How many countries are in religious conflict? How old are some of these conflicts? If these statistics could be publicized, people might realize how important church-state separation is to our freedom and peaceful existence.

We should not allow any one religious group to become too politically powerful or wealthy. Such a group would destroy our democracy and the right of other religions to exist (freedom of religion). Thomas Jefferson and the framers of the Constitution were aware of the history lessons of the past regarding religion when they included the separation clause in our Constitution.

I am proud to be a member of Americans United. Continue your excellent work.

-Judith E. Stevens

Lake Zurich, Ill.

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