Letter: Freedom of religion is undermined

Saturday, Feb. 3, 2001 | 11:07 a.m.

The freedom that they sacrificed so much to secure for themselves, they were unwilling to grant to others. It took the foresight of Roger Williams to see that freedom is the inalienable right of all, whatever their creed. That to endeavor to control conscience in an effort to restrain crime or achieve a safe and orderly society would be to give the magistrates the power to decree one set of opinions or beliefs today and another tomorrow.

To deviate from this principle, even a little, is to open the door to excluding those who cannot in good conscience accept or benefit from "government sponsored faith-based programs" -- i.e., prayer in the public schools, school vouchers to be used in private (church) schools, or government funding offered to church welfare programs -- because it would violate their religious beliefs. It is only in protecting the right of each of us to worship as our conscience dictates, without government "help" or interference, that we can ensure safety from the arbitrary dictating of how, when, or whom we worship.

REBECCA BEELER

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