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A few weeks ago (Oct. 18) I took Gary Harmon to task for ridiculing the
Freedom from Religion Foundation and the Western Colorado Atheists and
Freethinkers for sponsoring a billboard that stated “Keep Religion out of
Government”. But now I want to commend Mr. Harmon for his support (Nov. 1)
of those organizations by condemning the senseless defacement of the
billboard by some intellectually challenged individual.
Unfortunately, Mr Harmon could not forgo the opportunity to take another
swipe at his critics (”usual suspects” in his words) by their “demonstrating
a pronounced, even practiced, ability to miss a point”. The point we
emphatically made, which Mr Harmon chose to ignore, was that religion should
be kept out of government. He wrote of the impossibility of keeping religion
out of politics, with which we agreed.
But we do applaud Mr. Harmon’s condemning the vandalism and hope his
fair-mindedness on this issue is not short-lived but will also be exercised
in the future should there be similar assaults, direct or indirect, on the
First Amendment.
Earle Mullen, President
Western Colorado Atheists and Freethinkers
Grand Junction
One Response to “Kudos (sort of) for Gary Harmon”
Posted November 3rd, 2009 at 5:57 pm Login to Send PM Report this comment
Letter write: “He wrote of the impossibility of keeping religion
out of politics, with which we agreed.”
Organized religion certainly can be kept out of politics, and it should be. As to all “religion” being kept out, that is an impossibility as the very same individual has to contend with both his/her religion and secular matters, and in the same person. In that case, it is up to the individual to take great care that he/she examine his/her motivation for acting in a certain way when comes the time to act as a citizen. Too many fail to do so.
My distinction is that if organized religion, be it an entire religion or a particular sect, use their personal religious beliefs as the basis of laws and or regulation, or actively campaign, through word or act, in any action that would result upon some other individual, they are the ones who have violated the boundary and there motivation can and should be brought into question as to whether they are merely telling us about their religion or if “using” their religion in politics to gain domination over others.
History tells us that “religion”, when it gains political dominance is just as ruthless (in some cases even more so) than any political ideology or theory ever conceived by man. One of those religions is Catholicism, which all too frequently, and very conveniently, neglects to study or conveniently forgets its own history in that regard. That is quite obvious, even today.
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