Like some writers of letters to the MDJ, Cal Thomas ("The 2006 Choice," 6 November) is right that the U.S. faces many major threats but wrong about our history and wrong to be so fearful. This is a great nation, one that has met many challenges and will succeed again in part because it is now and always has been a secular nation. Thomas's false argument that one party will install judges who will "impose a secular agenda on the country" has no basis in logic or history. We—Christians, Jews, followers of other religions, and non-religious alike—are free and our nation is strong because we are free. And a crucial part of the basis for that freedom is separation of government and religion.

Both the long-standing nature of the threats against us and the long history of our secular government are illustrated by something that happened in George Washington's second term, in 1796. Islamic terrorists—then called Barbary pirates—attacked our ships and seamen. In an attempt to end these attacks, the U.S. agreed to a treaty with Tripoli. That treaty was unanimously agreed to in the U.S. Senate, signed by the President (by then John Adams) and printed in the newspapers of the day. It was not a successful treaty, as President Jefferson had to send in the Marines only a few years later. But the words of Article 11 of that treaty demonstrate that the Constitution was understood to be secular from the beginning. That section began, "As the government of the United States is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion . . . ."

Mr. Thomas and the readers of the MDJ should know that this nation has withstood great perils, great threats to our freedoms, throughout our history. We will face more, but we will withstand those, too, no matter which party wins elections.

[ED: Published in MDJ,11/8/06]

Contact Ed Buckner

 

What did you think of this article?

Liked
Disliked
No Opinion