Church and state separate, for now

It pains me when I hear people say that this is a Christian country. It really isn’t. What we live in, for the moment, is a country with the freedom of religious beliefs and the separation of church and state.

This is very important in this fear-mongering era by the Trump administration. You see, if we accept that the Founding Fathers were smart enough to make sure that things did not happen to U.S. citizens like those that happened to Galileo and others who fell prey to religious nonsense over the millenniums, there is no other conclusion you can draw. This is the founding principle for that amendment.

That is why we are not a Christian country. So in reality the true way to avoid us having to be afraid of Shariah law is to strengthen, not weaken, this amendment. When you pass laws along religious lines to stop abortion or otherwise restrict fellow citizens rights based on your religious beliefs you take us one step closer to Shariah law.

Stop weakening this amendment over your beliefs. Not everyone chooses your religion; get over it.

Paul Ramey

Newman Lake, Wash.