Sunday letters: Be careful when legislating religion

Passing a law with the word religion in it is a bad idea. It may seem like a good idea, but it will come back and bite you. Ask the governors of Indiana and Arkansas.

The reason isn’t because religion isn’t important; it’s because religion is the most contentious issue humans have.

The English fought a 100-year-long war and ended up back where they started. The church of Rome used the Inquisition to enforce its laws and produced the Protestant revolution. ISIS wants its imam to write its laws and beheads people who disagree. The Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Muslims, Native Americans and Unitarians might come to agreement — if they could agree among themselves first; don’t hold your breath.

It’s easy to believe what your preacher says God wants you to do until somebody else’s preacher tells somebody else that God didn’t say what your preacher said God said.

It could happen.

We could ask the courts to decide which preacher was right, but the judge’s preacher might say both other preachers were wrong.

Why don’t we just stay with the good, old-fashion nonsecular constitutional law and all go to church.

Pinopolis

This story was originally published April 11, 2015 at 7:30 PM with the headline "Sunday letters: Be careful when legislating religion."