This letter is in reply to Norm Fitzgerald (“America was founded on religion and the Bible,” Jan. 15 Times-News), who feels that many of America’s violence related problems, could easily be solved by returning this nation to God, with the Ten Commandments and the Bible as a guide.
He also states that America was founded on religion and the Bible. History says otherwise.
Thomas Payne said, “Churches were human inventions set up to terrify mankind.”
John Adams said, “That this would be the best of all possible worlds, if there were no religion in it.”
Rather than cling tightly to his Bible, Benjamin Franklin studied scientific phenomena, like lightening and the northern lights.
Thomas Jefferson, in addition to being a lawyer, an astronomer and physicist, founded the University of Virginia, played the violin and spoke six languages.
James Madison was actually fluent in Greek and Latin, and could translate Virgo and Cicero.
My point, many of our founding fathers spent much of their time studying the world around them through science, sociology and academic pursuit; not thumping their Bibles and preaching the word of God to all.
Some of the founding fathers, people we point to as visionary minds and leaders, actually spoke out against organized religion.
Our nation was not founded on freedom of religion alone.
It was largely founded to avoid excessive taxation and harsh treatment from Britain. It was founded on as many open thought, free thinking principles, as it was religious ones.
To push one religious idea, one group’s agenda on all is as un-American as the actions that drove our founding fathers to act.
Yes, violence in media can cultivate violent acts by unstable individuals. If you are looking for a great inspiration for violence, I suggest the Bible.
Here God commands fathers to kill their children, murders homosexuals, and drowns the world in a flood. Many violent crimes are committed in the name of god, referencing the Bible.
Mr. Fitzgerald, your philosophy is out of wack. Religion is a matter of personal choice and assault rifles make committing a violent crime, easier for murderers. That is simple logic.
Stuffing God and the Bible down everyone’s throat isn’t the answer. Respecting people for who they are, on their own merit and accepting the fact that we all are different, is a better approach.
Jeremy Gosnell
Oakland
Letters
History says America wasn’t found on religion and the Bible
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Maryland has stopped being “The Free State”
