Govt. should not endorse or renounce religion

Publication Date: 11/03/2009

In response to Amber Ramsey’s letter, of course spiritual individuals deserve freedom, the same freedom non-spiritual individuals deserve. People do not use separation of church and state to infringe upon the rights of the religious but to preserve the rights of all people, regardless of whether they are of any religion or no religion at all. One of the main purposes of our government is to guarantee and protect the rights of everyone, whether they are in the majority or the minority. Hence why not explicitly stating the phrase “separation of church and state” in the Constitution is not necessary for there to be a separation. To establish laws concerning religion necessarily gives preference to the rights or views of certain groups over others (hence why many people are very much against “In God We Trust” being our national motto). The government should neither endorse nor denounce any system of belief or non-belief, which, if I’m not mistaken, necessitates a separation of church and state.

William O’Connor

Junior in the College of Liberal Arts