I’ve seen it in opinions posted here and I’ve heard for years this trumpeting of opposition to anything tied to religious beliefs, particularly Christian, as their being based on fear.

If you stand against abortion ,it is fear; if you oppose homosexuality, it is because of fear; if one opposes the destruction of Biblically-based family values, that’s fear, ad nauseum.

The funny thing is that they cannot make their trump card of calling it “fear” work unless they point out the wackos who by no means represent the populace of their complaint.

As a Christ follower, I stand for what He taught and I do not stand in fear. I fear nothing but the disfavor of Almighty God – a long lost behavior in these United States.

Today’s textbook-educated ignorance teaches that if parents or the older society members, and especially Christians, stand against what they have so fondly embraced, that it’s because of fear. Fear to accept change, fear to embrace the unknown.

Nonsense. It isn’t fear – it is common sense.

This false propaganda of fear motivating the stand for values that made this country great is exposing itself as being about as resourceful as the little kid who realizes he’s got nothing else to fight with and yells “Well, my dad can beat up your dad.”

Karen Fink
Chattanooga

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The politics of fear haven't been used to make this nation better, but to make it worse. The people pushing the myths that caused the fear weren't doing so out of loyalty to their country, but to their bank accounts.

The people pointing to the past are doing so with crooked fingers. Morals are relative to the society where they are practiced. Therein lies the greatest danger to unquestioned acceptance of moral standards.

John Calvin, with his vile doctrine of predestination, set the stage for many cultural abnormalities here in the United States. His ideal approach toward life was brought over by the Pilgrims, those people who braved the dangers of the deep to come to this country and persecute their fellow man. In truth, his idea of predestination is first cousin to the Hindu caste system practiced in India. It wasn't anything new.

Ideology is the first cousin to dogma.
Many vile acts have been committed by people claiming to be following God Almighty. What is most important in any society, is that justice and the rule of law prevails over all superstitions. How do we arrive at true justice? Through constantly checking our morals. All great societies have constantly questioned their morals, and this questioning kept them healthy.

Religion, in its base element, is reliant on the perpetuation of a myth. Those adherents to any myth, will often exercise the sword to ensure the continuing progress of the myth. To them, justice is the eradication of those people or ideas they deem lost, damned, or Satanic. To them, the ideal ruler in any country would be what they consider God to be, and their God is a tyrant.

The only hate message Christ ever preached was to the religious leaders of His day. He didn't have trust in them, and according to the New Testament, no one should trust religious leaders, but should "work out their own salvation with fear and trembling." Christ message destroyed the ancient belief that man needed a third party to obtain communication with God. Beware of those who claim their "myth" is the only way to bliss.

Stephen Durham freethinker1963@yahoo.com