Letters
September/October 2003
Waste and Responsibility
In John W. Whitehead's "Amish v. State" article in the March/April 2003 Liberty magazine, he indicates that the only waste that an Amish family produces is organic. Inasmuch as human feces is organic and it flows untreated into streams, it would seem that Mr. Whitehead would have no problem living downstream from an Amish family. The issue is about raw human waste and not chlorofluorocarbons.
The natural environment belongs to all of us, regardless of our religious tradition. To live in an uncomplicated and simple manner is a virtue. But to do so at the expense of the greater community is self-serving. God calls us to be good stewards of all creation, to share it with equality, and to be good caretakers. None are exempt from that mandate.
THE REVEREND DR. JERROLD JONES
address unknown
Questioning the Question
First, I wish to state that I enjoy reading the many informative articles in Liberty. Without freedom of religion there can be no freedom of any kind.
Second, I wish to take exception to a letter, "A State of Liberty," by David Manzano (January/ February 2003), questioning "This Happy State," by Jim Walker (July/August 2002), in which he states, "But the article ignores the fact that there were Christian ideas behind the American concept of liberty. It was not all the result of the Enlightenment and deism."
The tenor of the letter seems to imply that the U.S.A. was, in actual fact, established as a Christian nation. I am sure there were Christian ideas behind the development process, because many of the founders were followers of various Christian sects. However, the "Enlightenment and deism" may have been greater. I won't argue that, but the article seems to want to denigrate any influence other than the Christian ideas.
The fact is that many of the founders were Freemasons. George Washington wore the apron and was a self-avowed deist. He was also quite ecumenical. On occasion he attended the "Romish" church (Catholic) and other denominations in the same day. John Adams and son John Quincy Adams were Unitarians, as was Thomas Jefferson. In fact, Jefferson was quoted, in effect, as saying that Unitarianism was America's real religion because it had no established dogma.
Other interesting areas of research to pursue are the financing of the Revolutionary Army and early discussions of an official language for America. Because of the interest in religious freedom some thought Hebrew should be the national language because the real meanings of the Bible could be understood only through the Hebrew language. Note also that the motto on the seal of Yale University is in Hebrew. Without the financing of Hyam Solomon, who was called "the financier of the American Revolution," and other Jewish merchants of that time, the British would have defeated the Revolutionary Army. Jewish ideas of freedom were also present. Jesus, in His day, preached the pure Judaism of that time. He said He came to fulfill the law, not change it, and that not one jot nor tittle was to be altered.
Furthermore, to say that "The treaty with Tripoli was worded as it was to assure the Bey that the U.S. was not hostile to an Islamic country" is speculation. One cannot assume that such a motivation was in the hearts of those who wrote the treaty. I cannot claim to know what was in their hearts. Is it not just as logical to say that they were expressing the true intent of the founders?
It is also interesting to note that Rhode Island, founded by Roger Williams to establish liberty of conscience, in later times refused to erect a statue to honor Patrick Henry ("Give me liberty or give me death") because of the dictates of his conscience. Today there are members of the Christian Right who are pushing for a closer association of the Christian church and our government in a way that comes close to creating an established national religion. I wholeheartedly applaud and support Liberty magazine's continued efforts to curtail any such efforts. What happened in Rhode Island is an indication of how liberty can be eroded by the "good intentions" of well-meaning Christians. To infer that America was founded primarily on Christian ideas can only encourage and enhance further efforts to establish Christianity as the national religion.
RICHARD MANN, PH.D.