‘Guardrails’ are to limit state, not church
I appreciate the opportunity to respond to a letter to the editor on the “guardrails of church-state relations,” as outlined in our founding documents. The action taken by the Southern Baptist Convention is clearly within our rights and in harmony with their traditional and biblical family values. The First Amendment in our Bill of Rights added protection to faith-following citizens, not limitation.
First, the “guardrails” regarding church and state relations are in place to limit the actions of the state, not the church. Americans of every faith practiced and no faith are protected by the “Free Exercise Clause” of the First Amendment.
Second, even a cursory reading of our founding documents will demonstrate to any reader that there is no mention of the phrase “Separation of Church and State.” That phrase was penned by Thomas Jefferson in a letter to the Danbury Baptist Association of Connecticut, promising that the proposed Bill of Rights would guarantee freedom of religion with no favoritism shown to one Christian denomination over another.
On the heels of our national day celebrating independence, perhaps we would all benefit from reading these precious papers outlining the principles that have shaped us into truly exceptional people.
Yes, I am one of over 14 million Southern Baptists freely exercising our faith to feed the hungry, help the hurting, lift the downtrodden and express the promises of Christ to everyone.
God’s grace and peace to you all!
DR. WALLACE MCABEE, SHARPSBURG
SENIOR PASTOR, SHARPSBURG BAPTIST CHURCH
False narratives meant to justify hate
To the letter writer who defends ICE recruitment and buys into the narrative about the “many who wish us ill and stop illegal drugs that have poured over the border to kill our children and citizens,” I will offer a reality check.
Illegal immigrants commit fewer crimes than the average American and work hard to fit into our society because they appreciate our country. They pay taxes, do jobs that Americans don’t want to do, help deal with declining birth rates and contribute greatly to our national wealth.
Along comes Trump with the same messaging as Hitler that vilifies those not like us, plays the race card and makes false claims to justify the hate. Now, we are going to waste several hundred billion to sever a productive limb of our society. Talk about wasteful spending.
Rather than have ICE agents chase farmworkers in fields, let’s find them jobs that will contribute to America’s productivity.
JOHN W. SHACKLETON, JR., ATLANTA
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