This week, several letters from readers exhibited a common dialogue. Tuesday's Letter of the Day expressed the position of the Catholic Church on sexuality.
On Thursday, a letter concluded by urging the author of the earlier letter to "practice his religion and keep it out of my government." This, however, is comparable to saying "spend time with your dad, but make sure it doesn't influence my government."
The influence of religion is no different from that of your family, friends, economic status, etc.
We don't form beliefs in a vacuum, and our environmental influences are as diverse as we are, but religion, just one influence, is targeted because it is an institution and because many have a misunderstanding of the separation of church and state.
This idea of separation comes from the First Amendment, which, rather than restricting the involvement of religion, guarantees that individuals will always be entitled to express, and even bring to the polls, their religious beliefs. In a democracy, if these beliefs are held by the majority and the elected officials who represent them, they will influence government policy.
Like it or not, this is the "my government" that the second writer claims as her own.
ERIK THONE, BROOKLYN PARK
