To the editor:
In his May 27 column, Mark Hillman said that the Bible
establishes standards that are “not subject to the democratic
process.” Such a claim echoes those of Iranian ayatollahs whose
religious pronouncements are strangling democratic reforms. One
would have thought that an American legislator who has taken an
oath to uphold the Constitution would recognize that in this
country everything is subject to the democratic process.
As part of that process, clergy have the right to express
opinions on public policy, and it is natural for such opinions to
be informed by their religious faith. It is quite another matter,
however, for clergy to seek to penalize the free exercise of
political choice by their parishioners.
The essence of American democracy is individual freedom of
conscience. Efforts by bishops or other clergy to inhibit this
freedom are not unlawful, but they are un-American, for they
display a lack of respect for one of the foundations of our
democracy.
The dangers of indiscriminate mixing of religion and politics
have been illustrated in recent years by the ascendancy of
politicians whose faith has given rise, not to humility, but to
arrogance. We can see this phenomenon in a president whose
unswerving belief that his neo-conservative ideology has a divine
mandate has led to the unnecessary deaths of hundreds of Americans
and uncounted Iraqis, increased the dangers posed by Islamic
extremists, destroyed our country’s reputation abroad and mortgaged
our children’s future to an immense deficit.
Rick Brown
Kiowa