Writer Judith Barrington, in her Jan 1 letter "Keep religion off editorial pages" claims to be "disgusted" by the Oregonian's printing of a quote from the book of Luke giving the biblical account of the birth of Jesus. What an incredible load of rubbish! Christmas is a major event in this country, affecting nearly every American in some way. It is foolish to suggest that information about the basis of this holiday is not an appropriate topic for a newspaper.
The article was not evangelizing. It was not inviting people to attend church. It was not asking for money. It was not claiming to espouse any one, absolute truth. It was simply, as the title clearly said, "The birth of Jesus according to Luke": an excerpt from one of the most important and influential books in history.
Is Ms. Barrington "disgusted" by the annual series in the Curtis comic strip, currently underway, giving the story of Kwanzaa? Is she "disgusted" by the annual coverage given to local Hannukah celebrations? Is she "disgusted" by the front page mentions of the Islam Ramadan festival? It is hypocrisy to focus one's censorship demands only on the most popular of the religious festivals.
Perhaps the most incredible line in Mr. Barrington's letter is her assertion that "religiosity is escalating in an alarming and inappropriate manner". Ignoring for the moment the fact that this is untrue, only the most extreme members of the lunatic fringe of the athiest community could possibly call an increase in religion "alarming and inappropriate". All of the major world religions teach peace, self-fulfillment, respect for authority, and morality. An escalation in any of these things is of benefit to mankind.
In her closing paragraph, she claims to want the Oregonian to demonstrate "true respect for diversity of belief". It is a sad statement when even an athiest thinks that "diversity" means the same thing as "suppression". If Ms. Barrington would like to submit a guest editorial giving the basis of her athiesm, or describing her celebration of some festival important to her, I am sure the Oregonian would be happy to print it. Celebrating diversity means describing, sharing, and enjoying our differences. I can celebrate her athiesm just as I celebrate my Christianity, or my neighbor celebrates his Judaism, whether or not I agree with the bases of these celebrations. It is bone-headed to suggest that we hide our heads in the sand and simply pretend that these differences do not exist.
