| My Letter to the Meridian Star |
| Fed up beyond belief with the recent state law requiring "In God We Trust" to be posted in every classroom in Mississippi, I decided to write the following letter to my local newspaper, the Meridian Star, right after they printed a particularly pro-poster Editorial. Here's what I sent them, which they published on Sunday, September 2 2001, under the heading "Self-Described Atheist Not Happy With 'In God We Trust' Posters": "To the Editor: "I can understand, maybe, why a teacher would choose to post 'In God We Trust' in his or her classroom. But why has this suddenly become mandatory? Why is it, that every time I go to school, I have to stare at a poster advertising the Judeo-Christian deity for over an hour? "I'm an atheist, but I would never push to have posters put in classrooms that say 'Gods Do Not Exist', so why do Christians in this state find it necessary to force their theological point of view on people like me? Why is it so hard for people around here to think outside of their own beliefs, and realize that what they're doing is making some people resent them? "Basically, these posters tell me that I'm not an American and don't belong in my school because I don't subscribe to the Judeo-Christian ethic. Well, I have my rights every bit as much as those who worship that particular god, and I (among others) will not rest until someone realizes that not everyone in Mississippi thinks the same way. -Doug DeWitt Enterprise" Usually, if the Star prints a letter that goes against popular opinion, then several other people will write in reply to it. I'll see if they print any replies to my letter, and I'll post them here. UPDATE: Low and behold, one week later, the following letter was sent to the paper: "To the Editor: "In response to Doug DeWitt's letter (the Meridian Star, Sept. 2) regarding the 'In God We Trust' posters, I think he is somewhat misguided in what the United States of America stands for. "Mr. DeWitt, your letter does not state what grade you are in, but hopefully you haven't studied the part of your history book that teaches that this country was founded on Judeo-Christian ethics (that is, of course, provided that our public school history books still teach that). "As a Christian, (which, by the way, most people in this country are!), I'm sick and tired of hearing the atheists and others whine about Christianity. They must be really afraid of it to let it worry them so much. The God of the Holy Bible is who the founding fathers relied on the Constitutioin and by the laws in which we live. If anyone has a problem with that fact, they need to get over it or find another country in which to live. "No matter what you or anyone else says or does, that fact does not change. Nobody says you have to believe in God, though I pray you will come to know him for who he is, but you cannot expect the majority to conform to your viewpoint. "'In God We Trust' is the NATIONAL MOTTO. National, in case you have not yet studied the word, means 'the nation'. It is not just for Christians in this state, and God help us when the majority of citizens in this country no longer trust in Him. "No one says you have to 'stare' at the poster for over an hour. Try looking at the textbook or your teacher. We Mississippians are quite capable of 'thinking' about any or all beliefs, and I thank God that I'm both a Christian and an American. "Mary Pace- Daleville" Well, isn't that just lovely? I wrote another letter in reply to hers, and I hope the Star will print it. If they don't within a week, I'll just disect this blatantly ignorant letter on here. UPDATE, PART DEUX: Wednesday, September 12, the Star surprised me by posting my reply to Mary Pace. "The purpose of my letter on September 2 was that these posters say to me that I'm not an American unless I believe in your god. I'm not afraid of your religion, I just don't like it being forced on me all the time. And I stated in my letter that I would never push to put up posters that say "Gods do Not Exist", so I'm certainly not trying to "make the majority conform to (my) viewpoint", as one letter writer accused me of doing. "I am a senior, and have studied much history. Enough to know that the Treaty of Tripoli, which I think was signed in 1797, states that Congress was in no way founded on the Christian religion. Look it up if you don't believe me. "One letter-writer stated that most of this country follows Christianity, yet in the fifth paragraphs says "the majority of citizens in the USA no longer trust in him". Which is it? "In this country, we have Freedom of Religion. It's impossible to have this freedom without a secular government (otherwise, we'd end up in a theocracy). So should government owned buildings be putting up posters advertising for a particular deity? I think not. -Doug DeWitt Enterprise" Okay, so it's not the best thought-out letter in the world, but it's a decent reply, and certainly better than Mz. Pace's. I'll probably get yet another reply to this, and if I do, I'll post it here. UPDATE: It's been a week now since my last letter, and all the letters in the paper are currently about terrorism and the World Trade Center. So I guess that's it... |
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