Need for Religion

The Agnes Herman commentary (“Jesus Nativity Creche Isn’t Offensive, but It Doesn’t Belong in Tax-Supported Spot,” Dec. 27) is poised and thoughtful and logical at many points. Yet, I write as a Christian to express my concern for its long-term effect on Jews.

The Herman commentary is negative and risks future reaction against Jews for the pressure to remove Christian symbols from public places and events. The Jewish neighbors will be better off in our world with Christians being more Christian rather than less, and symbols help remind Christians of those values left by many in the churches they used to attend.

So well-informed a writer as the San Marcos lady who wrote the article should know that “folk religion” is a more accurate descriptive name for most festivities among Christians, as among Jewish and all other folk.

As a concerned believer in God and lover of humanity, it would seem more constructive to skip the protest and advocate mutual awareness--deeper appreciation--of what each religious tradition offers. The more we know of other religions, the more we can really understand our own.

Our society is not doing well as it more and more reduces those things which remind us of God and of things holy, eternal and moral. Both Judaism and Christianity are actually minority faiths in our society at this time. We should hold each other up.

The U.S. Constitution was not intended to destroy religions. America must not become theocratic, to be sure; but, it will be even worse off if it becomes as atheist as Russian Communism.

Give us more Jesus scenes. And give us more Moses and more Amos and more Jeremiah, the Star of David, the Menorah. This Republic is not now measuring up to “In God We Trust.”

R. HYLTON SANDERS

Fallbrook