Welcome to David's syndicated column
"AMAZING GRACE"
His weekly column is syndicated by the Scripps Howard News Service to over 350 newspapers nationwide serving more than 25 million readers. If "Amazing Grace" does not yet appear in your local paper, ask your editor to consider carrying it. Here is an excerpt from a recent column:
My understanding is that the purpose of our nation's separation of church and state is to protect religion from government, not the other way around. Every American, believer or skeptic, has the constitutional right to petition the government for the redress of grievances. Those who complain about lobbying by the religious right or left need to appreciate that the churches are taking advantage of the same freedom to complain as teachers, doctors, lawyers, industrialists, unions, feminists, minorities and gay rights activists.
It is the American way for citizens to expect government to help them when necessary, but otherwise to stay out of their way. Many religious Americans believe that government intrudes unnecessarily, encouraging behavior they find repugnant. So some lobby, among other complaints, against free condoms in our public schools or abortions financed with their tax dollars. Religious people are no scarier than any other group with a grievance.
What is scary is to recruit government into putting its weight behind religion. Even if you happen to agree (as I do) that religion is good for people and, by extension, for the nation, I tremble at the thought of politicians preaching what is good for us. That has been tried elsewhere. Whenever governments get behind religion, the churches suffer and citizens lose interest.
What's even worse is to trivialize religion by focusing on its contribution to health, security, self-esteem and social order. Look it up: that's not the message of the Sermon on the Mount.
(Copyright 1996 by the Scripps Howard News Service)
Note: David welcomes reader response to his columns and, insofar as possible, responds personally to reader's comments and questions.