Too many letters comprise an ongoing argument between those who think the Bible is the final authority on all things and those who do not. This is an exercise in futility.
Religion is based on faith and cannot be proven or disproven. Beautiful as the Bible is, it is far from the repository of all truth and wisdom. Those who view the world exclusively from (their interpretation of) the Bible are ignoring many facts that must be taken into consideration when we create laws and policy. Political ideologues, such as those who cling to the debunked myth of trickle-down economics, are using the same faith-based kind of thinking as do the religiously orthodox.
Both the religiously orthodox and the secularly orthodox see themselves as promoting "the truth" to guide the unbelievers; but, truth be told, their underlying motivation is self interest. In the one case, it is personal wealth; in the other, personal salvation. Jesus said, "let the Word be written on the heart," meaning do right only for the sake of doing right, not for personal reward.
What is right for our country is to establish laws based on reason and up-to-date knowledge, guided by ethics. Ethics existed long before the Bible was written or Christianity was conceived. If we must use religion as a guide to public policy, let's just leave it at "love thy neighbor as thyself." Let's put an end to these religious wars and get busy using modern knowledge and common sense to solve the many problems we now face as a nation.
Respect, responsibility and compromise are the holy trinity of democracy.
NORMAN DOVBERG
Albany