Religion should not determine laws

Tue, May 22. 2012

EDITOR: It is evident that persons have a difficulty separating religious beliefs from what ought to be the laws of the country. I read an article where the author tried to justify not legalizing homosexuality based on the Bible. It was stated that God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because of the involvement of the people in acts of homosexuality.{{more}}

First of all, we do not know if these stories are true. However, we cannot impose our religious beliefs on others by making them into law. We have a tendency of using the parts of the Bible that suit us. If we want to use the Bible as our legal basis, then we ought to use it throughout. One thing is certain, if we were to use everything in the Bible, women would certainly be treated like second class citizens and slavery would be accepted as the norm.

I do not support homosexuality. However, it seems that anyone who does not accept Jesus Christ as his

or her saviour ought to be hauled in front of a Magistrate, because the Bible says that we ought to believe in Christ. The Bible is no more correct than the Koran or any other religious book.

I do believe that in order to understand and believe what is taught as Christianity, one has to be irrational. Scientists are producing overwhelming evidence that life has been around for millions of years, but Christians are trying to give the impression that a couple called Adam and Eve were created several thousand years ago.

I maintain that this country would never be placed on a scientific footing because too many of us spend too much time discussing religion and trying to use it to explain everything that is happening in the world today. I would like someone to tell me, when did the last days begin? As far as I know, the last days began since Jesus allegedly ascended into heaven and promised to return. I am very happy that Jesus Christ himself never wrote any of these stories, because I hold a dim view of those who did.

I am of the opinion that the media and the Ministry of Education ought to play a leading role in opening the minds of our children. There should not be too much conflict between science and religion, but we cannot afford to be fanatical in our beliefs.

Mystic