Religion, government should remain separate

So the government should endorse prayer? I wonder if all the children who needlessly suffered and died because their parents chose prayer over lifesaving medical treatment would feel the same way.

How about the victims of abuse by religious authority figures, when the abusers say they're redeemed by prayer, but continue to offend? And what about the family members of fallen soldiers, when church members outside the memorial services pray that the heroic service members “burn in hell?” Not to mention young girls forced into lives of servitude in arranged marriages inspired by the divine inspirations of their religious leaders' prayers.

Those are only a few examples of the harm caused by prayer.

Look no farther than Afghanistan or Iraq to see what happens when religion and government become intertwined. Isn't one of the main reasons we continue fighting in that area of the world is to “plant the seeds of democracy” where theocracy has long been the rule?

We should be no less vigilant at home to be sure that the wall of separation between church and state remains intact. People are free to pray whenever and wherever they want, but the government should not in any way endorse prayer, nor one religion over another, including nonbelief.

Alan Remington

Cedar Rapids