Dear editor:
Mr. Hessley's recent letter has left me a little confused: is he really arguing that Christians are forced to accept - and pay for - anything the government chooses to do? Do the actions of our Government trump our beliefs, leaving us with no choice but to support them regardless of whether it violates our conscience? Does government demand our unconditional assent?
This seems a particularly strange notion - one at odds with centuries of consistent Christian teaching - particularly when we remember the history of the last century, perhaps the bloodiest century in the history of mankind, where governments all over the world launched orgies of bloodshed and violence against their own people. And not just in backwards or barbaric lands, but in some of the most civilized nations in the world - even in the one country popularly believed to be the most advanced - scientifically, philosophically and even morally - nation on earth at the beginning of the 20th century.
The price of liberty is eternal vigilance, as Thomas Jefferson reminded us. It is also the price of religious freedom, particularly when we are confronted with a government intent on preaching its own "moral" beliefs.
Are we truly giving to Caesar what is Caesar's when he demands that we worship him as god?
Sincerely,
Mark Cole
Warren