A letter to the Sun Gazette
November 8th, 2009I am reproducing it here as the Williamsport Sun Gazette gutted it of facts and actual content, leaving only opinion behind:
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Re: Turning our backs by Mrs. Joan T. Harvard of Williamsport, as found here: http://www.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/534117.html?nav=5008
It is easy to believe anything you wish to be so when you are ignorant of the relevant history.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Tripoli – “As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion…”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_Six_of_the_United_States_Constitution – “…no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States…”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_amendment – “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;”
We have freedom OF and freedom FROM religion. In no way, shape or form was this country founded on any single religion. This is a simple historical fact.
One of the drives that lead to the creation of this country was to get away from mandated state religions that were the norm in Europe, and set up a new state where people were free to worship (or NOT) whatever they chose in any form they chose. The attempt was to create a more perfect union. Notice the complete lack of references to Christianity? That is no coincidence.
It’s one thing to believe in whatever you want to believe in, it is entirely something else to be ignorant to the history of your own country and proclaim “THIS IS THE WAY IT IS, ALWAYS HAS BEEN, AND ALWAYS WILL BE”.
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This is the Sun Gazette’s version: http://www.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/534463.html?nav=5008
It is easy to believe anything you wish to be so when you are ignorant of the relevant history. We have freedom of and freedom from religion. In no way, shape or form was this country founded on any single religion. This is a simple historical fact.
One of the drives that lead to the creation of this country was to get away from mandated state religions that were the norm in Europe, and set up a new state where people were free to worship whatever they chose in any form they chose. The attempt was to create a more perfect union. Notice the complete lack of references to Christianity? That is no coincidence. It’s one thing to believe in whatever you want to believe in, it is entirely something else to be ignorant to the history of your own country and proclaim “This is the way it is, always has been and always will be.”
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Thanks, Sun Gazette, for sucking cocks so hard!  You removed my nod to Atheists for absolutely no reason!  You even removed the references from the virtual copy where there was no space or format limitation!  Fuck you too!
Nice send off at the end for the Gazette.
Response: http://beta252.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/534816.html?nav=5008&showlayout=0
Mr. Garrett Socling recently wrote a letter entitled “Abusing religion, history” in which he “abused religion and history.” The religious history of the United States is very well documented. Every president since Washington has sworn an oath to God using a Christian Bible (except LBJ, who used a Catholic Missal).
The framers may not have mentioned Christianity in the Constitution but they clearly intended that charter of liberty to govern a society of fervent faith, freely encouraged by government for the benefit of all.
Their noble and unprecedented experiment never involved a religion-free or faithless state but did indeed presuppose America’s unequivocal identity as a Christian nation.
Robert Herrick
South Williamsport
My response:
Re: Abuse posted November 4, 2009 by Robert Herrick
Robert Herrick claims “The religious history of the United States is very well documented. Every president since Washington has sworn an oath to God using a Christian Bible (except LBJ, who used a Catholic Missal).” Unfortuntaely, he is another perfect example of someone who doesn’t know much at all about the history of the country in which he resides. If he’d like a quick overview, I’d highly recommend examining the wikipedia page found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oath_of_office_of_the_President_of_the_United_States
As the above reference likely won’t be published, here are the items besides the bible which have been sworn or affirmed on: nothing, a book of law, and a Catholic missal. Feel free to research it on your own at length.
As I stated in my original letter to the editor, it is very easy to believe whatever you wish to be true when you are ignorant regarding fact.
Sun Gazette rage.