Well, we've covered enough of Robertson (at least on this statement). So, now it's time for something else. Here's my letter to the editor that was published in the August 29 issue of U.S. News & World Report. USNews.com: American Piety; The Fuel-Cell Car; War on Terror; High-Tech Hospitals; Aware in the OR ; Clarification (8/29/05)
It was in response to comments by Tony Perkins about the recent Supreme Court decisions on the Ten Commandments--one of the issues where some Christians today are the most misguided in their beliefs and comments.
However, the letter was edited down quite a bit. So, here it is as I originally wrote it:
The recent cover story on religion in America (“Divided we stand,” August 8) troubled me as I read about how some religious leaders have lost the appropriate focus. The Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins is quoted as claiming that the recent Supreme Court decisions on the Ten Commandments are like “sandblasting the [nation’s] Judeo-Christian heritage.” Maybe I’m confused, but I thought the Ten Commandments were given to Moses, not George Washington or James Madison. Sure, many of the Founders were Christians but they did not establish a state religion like in England. Instead they wanted true religious liberty for all people. Perkins, on the other hand, would fit in well with the Puritans. These early settlers left England because of religious persecution and then, ironically, persecuted those who held different religious beliefs.
As a Baptist minister my faith remains the same regardless of what the courts or anyone else says. Perkins and other religious leaders would do a lot more good for our society if they focused on living out the teachings of God instead of attempting to have them codified. After all, Jesus came to build a Heavenly Kingdom, not an earthly one.
It was in response to comments by Tony Perkins about the recent Supreme Court decisions on the Ten Commandments--one of the issues where some Christians today are the most misguided in their beliefs and comments.
However, the letter was edited down quite a bit. So, here it is as I originally wrote it:
The recent cover story on religion in America (“Divided we stand,” August 8) troubled me as I read about how some religious leaders have lost the appropriate focus. The Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins is quoted as claiming that the recent Supreme Court decisions on the Ten Commandments are like “sandblasting the [nation’s] Judeo-Christian heritage.” Maybe I’m confused, but I thought the Ten Commandments were given to Moses, not George Washington or James Madison. Sure, many of the Founders were Christians but they did not establish a state religion like in England. Instead they wanted true religious liberty for all people. Perkins, on the other hand, would fit in well with the Puritans. These early settlers left England because of religious persecution and then, ironically, persecuted those who held different religious beliefs.
As a Baptist minister my faith remains the same regardless of what the courts or anyone else says. Perkins and other religious leaders would do a lot more good for our society if they focused on living out the teachings of God instead of attempting to have them codified. After all, Jesus came to build a Heavenly Kingdom, not an earthly one.
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