Several items in the Sunday Monitor’s Forum section (10/9) presented quite a juxtaposition when it comes to matters of faith. The lead My Turnfrom Joseph Steinfield discussed Supreme Court decisions regarding religion. In Stephanie Rutt’s My Turn, she discussed a desire to seek “once upon a time” attitudes and actions in regard to faith. And then there was the My Turn from Robert Azzi discussing the conflict over women’s rights in Iran. I hope Monitor readers caught the obvious reflection: Perhaps we are becoming more like Iran than the America our forefathers intended.
Gasp! Sure looks and feels like it. People are burning books they haven’t even read. Religious leaders and influencers are refusing to turn the other cheek or even follow their own commandments (i.e., the “big lie” etc.). Our constitutional separation of church and state is slowly fading while established rights are being dissolved. We can’t even discuss these things without someone throwing a major hissy fit. Take a step back and look at the “big picture.” As Christian nationalism infects our country, it doesn’t look all that different from the Islamic nationalism that most Christians fiercely abhor. “We the people” came to this country to flee religious persecution yet some of us are now enforcing it. Our constitution demands the separation of church and state, not the separation of religion from state. Big difference.
Lester Zaiontz
Concord