LETTERS.

Churches and Politics: Report All Abuses

You very properly addressed the problem of churches becoming involved in politics ("Churches, Politics And The IRS," September Church & State). There is no question that the right wing of the body politic abuses the wall that must exist between our religious and political expression to a greater extent than does the left. However, Americans United and others who have pledged to defend that wall must be as quick to call attention to abuses of the left as those of the right. We open ourselves to charges of hypocrisy when we do not. Conversely, we enhance our credibility when we do.

--Bob Brigham

Manhattan Beach, Calif.

Editor's Note: We agree wholeheartedly. To date, Americans United has reported 15 houses of worship, religious ministries or non-profit religious broadcasters to the Internal Revenue Service for improper involvement in partisan politics under AU's "Project Fair Play." Ten are accused of endorsing Republicans, four of endorsing Democrats and one of endorsing a third-party candidate.

Shame On `Christian' Radio

This week I've listened to the animosity and venom (and the applause and laughter it received) at the Christian Coalition's annual "Road to Victory" conference, and I have been appalled by the attitudes of speakers on allegedly "Christian" talk shows.

Jerry Falwell should be ashamed of himself. Pat Robertson and right-wing radio talk show host Janet Parshall need to decide if their top priority is one of spreading the Good News or furthering their political positions. They cannot simultaneously do both without harming one of these goals or the other or possibly both of them.

--Craig Wagner

Arlington, Va.

School Vouchers: What's The Big Deal?

Recently a friend of mine has been lending me his copies of Church & State magazine knowing that as I am a member of the Society of Friends, I am very interested in preserving the important freedoms incorporated in America's separation of church and state.

While I have read with interest articles in your recent publications, I do wonder at your overwhelming concentration on the school aspect of this important subject, in particular, your extreme pro-public school stance.

I am a father of four boys and now a grandfather of eight grandchildren, all of whom have or are attending public schools in various parts of the country, and, when we could afford it, occasionally private schools. While it most certainly is desirable to maintain our principles of religious freedom in education, I must take issue with what seems to be your continual biased defense of our public school system. In my considerable, two generational and very personal experience, our public schools are sadly lacking in essential class disciplines and teacher quality. Unfortunately, instead of improving, the situation appears to be steadily getting worse.

On the several occasions when, through desperation over the poor teaching quality and drug infestation of one or another public school, we have scraped the barrel and sent a son and, more recently, several grandchildren to private schools -- Quaker in two cases and Catholic in two others -- we have been startled at the huge and growing gap in quality of education. In neither case, incidentally, did the religious teaching in these schools seem to affect the beliefs of the children involved.

The history so far of throwing more tax money at the schools and building ever more grandiose facilities certainly hasn't seemed to work. Whether the solution is your much maligned vouchers or some other modification of our system, something must be done. But most certainly your position of defending the status quo is indefensible.

--James H. Parcher

Benton, Pa.

Editor's Note: Americans United's view is that it is unconstitutional and immoral to tax Americans to pay for religion -- whether through vouchers or some other mechanism. We acknowledge that some public schools are troubled. The answer is to support and fix those institutions, which by law must educate all children who come to the door, not abandon them in favor of private schools that are free to indoctrinate as well as deny admission to or expel students at will.

Public Schools And Religion Don't Mix

When I was in school back in the 1920s and `30s we did not have formal prayer, and we did salute the flag sans "under God." My generation grew up under adverse conditions, yet we worked hard and 95 percent of us were good citizens. Even then we had narrow-minded religious extremists who thought everyone should believe their way, but most of us ignored them.

We must keep the Religious Right out of our public schools. This country was founded on the premise of freedom from sectarian domination. We should be able to make our own decisions, and if some want to be atheists, that is their privilege. Also gays and lesbians and women should be able to control their own lives.

--Margaret Koss

Pueblo, Colo.

Church & State welcomes letters to the editor. Although not all correspondence can be published, readers' opinions are appreciated. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit all letters for brevity and clarity.