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OPINION

United States is not, repeat not, a theocracy

Letter
Comments (9)

Friday, July 3, 2009

(Updated 3:00 am)

I hope I was not the only reader to notice the troubling connection between Bobbie Hege’s letter, “On issues of abortion, turn to the word of God,” and the political cartoon, “Theocracy Explained” (June 24).

In her letter, Hege wrote that “there’s no excuse in God’s word” for permitting abortions and that “denying God’s word ... is never the correct answer.” In the cartoon, Iran’s supreme leader lectures the Iranian people, “You vote, God decides.”

In the spirit of the Iranian protesters, I would like to remind Hege that we live in a republic, not a theocracy, and that her holy book does not govern the people of the United States.

Ms. Hege, I do not believe in your god — or the Ayatollah’s god, for that matter.

Thankfully, the U.S. Bill of Rights gives me the right not to believe, something denied to the citizens of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

In a democratic, pluralistic republic, we the people, not clerics, get to make the choices that affect our lives. You make your choices, I’ll make mine, and we’ll both learn to tolerate the decisions of the other.

James A. Wood
Greensboro

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zeus80

July 3, 2009 - 5:04 am EDT

Yes, Mr. Wood. Yes, indeed! (sic 'em!)

RandolphBloke

July 3, 2009 - 12:46 pm EDT

Nice letter Mr. Wood.

zeus80

July 3, 2009 - 1:45 pm EDT

And Albert Einstein reportedly said: "I believe in Spinoza's God, Who reveals Himself in the lawful harmony of the world, not in a God Who concerns Himself with the fate and the doings of mankind." (OK?)

Yvonne

July 3, 2009 - 1:45 pm EDT

Refreshing concept, James. Wish more people would learn the same lesson with regard to allowing each person to choose for themselves.

9mmjustice

July 4, 2009 - 8:09 pm EDT

Choice for EVERYONE- amazingly difficult concept for one-trick-ponies to grasp.

tim tribbett

July 4, 2009 - 5:42 pm EDT

Like it or not our constitution and our declaration are filled with references to god and they were written by men who believed in god and wanted this to to be a christian nation.We are not a theocracy in the sense that unelected religious leaders control our government but people who are religious do have the right to vote for principles that support their christian beliefs just as nonbelievers have a right to vote for what supports their belief system. Some things such as abortion are not even a religious issue. No serious person can look at a late term baby with all it's fingers and toes and brain waves and say that that is a not a person and that putting a hole in his or her skull and sucking out the brains to collapse the skull is not murder.I guess they deny the baby's humanity because it is "an inconvenient truth" or can only liberals use that phrase.

jamesawood

July 10, 2009 - 10:58 am EDT

I do agree that religious people have a right to participate as Christians in the republic. Let's have at it! But within the framework of reason and science, which unlike faith is provable. I'm more sceptical than you about our ability to understand the founding fathers' beliefs, let alone practice them. On the late-term abortion question, I'd say this issue is a red herring. They are extremely rare (for the obvious reason) and are usually done when there is a genetic abnormality or other life-threatening problem. Nevertheless, the reigning interpretation of the constitution says they are legal. The constitution, not the bible, which is the basis of our republic.

9mmjustice

July 4, 2009 - 8:13 pm EDT

Fear not, James- when the present legisltive/administrative cadre succeed in eliminating our Constitution as law, you who profess to know that there is no God will be free to join the rest of us on the gulag.