God-free congregations

Greg Epstein, the humanist chaplain of Harvard University, wants to build a God-free community (3/21, Faith, “Humanists plan God-free congregations”). Someone with Mr. Epstein’s extensive education should be aware that this experiment has already been tried in Lenin’s and Stalin’s Russia, Mao’s China and Pol Pot’s Cambodia, and the result has been found wanting.

Secular humanism is based solidly on moral relativism which, when applied to the larger society, has been an unmitigated disaster for humanity. Perhaps Mr. Epstein and his covey of non-believers can find a little island somewhere and live out their own little “Lord of the Flies” moment, leaving the rest of us alone.

Ed Lindgren
Overland Park

As we have taken God out of just about everything else, why not the church?

I offer this bit of information to the movement founder, Greg Epstein. Several thousand years ago, God-inspired individuals wrote the Bible, which states that in the end times there will be a turning away from God.

So I submit that Mr. Epstein is merely an instrument to help fulfill that prophecy. Since it was preordained to occur, there is nothing he or his followers can do to stop it even if they were so minded.

Several hundred years ago, Nostradamus penned some rambling thoughts that the world at large has accepted as true accounts of future happenings. So-called experts have tied many catastrophic events to his predictions, yet the one tried-and-true forecaster of coming events, the Holy Bible, is dismissed as irrelevant to today’s world.

I say to Mr. Epstein, good luck with your endeavor. You are a part of destiny that was set in motion long before you were even thought of.

W.F. Miller
Lone Jack

Comments

[bud 25]

While I do agree there is no reason for secular humanist, or any non-believer, to leave the country to form a group to further their views on life, I feel I must translate. These men feel that by just allowing this group to form will open up avenues for their followers to leave their group. This is similar to the religious saying that the country is growing immoral, which just means I'm losing my congregation.

[JUNGLEJACK]

As a Christian I really don't understand the outrage by these two letter writers. For example, Ed Lindgren ends his letter by pleading with Mr. Epstien to "leave us alone". I don't understand who "us" is or how Epstien is burdening us.

[Lawrence]

Mr. Lindgren,

All of your examples are inappropriate and flawed. All your examples are restrictions forced on the populace by totalitarian states or dictatorships that outlawed the practice of religion. Belief in religion, or not, can't be outlawed because there are thankfully no thought police. All we Secular Humanists are saying is that we believe that human beings are responsible for, and can solve our own problems, individually and socially, by human means. No supernatural help is necessary, thank you very much. All we want is freedom from religion. Your comment about "finding an island" is childish, immature and shortsighted. I would suggest you study more history and develop some critical thinking skills before making misinformed statements like these, no matter how passionate you feel.

Mr. Miller,

About you I have less to say. Your comments, and supposed points, are completely spurious. Since we don't believe that your "Holy" scripture is of supernatural origin, why would we believe anything Nostradamus would have to say. Trying to base any argument with us, or criticism of us, and using superstitious writings as your basis of proof, is a useless exercise. You'll need to do quite a bit more critical thinking than that.

William

[Stifled Freedom]

Mr Lingren, perhaps you could take your religion to the island and leave us alone.

The founding fathers could have used all or port of the Bible as the supreme law of the land.....but they didn't. They drafted a revolutionary new document that says something about govt not establishing a religion.

From that it should be very clear they did not want the religious standards promulgated into law that we have today.

Go find your own island, this has already been claimed by people who wanted freedom from religion.