Letters to the editor

Christian fundamentalists do try to legislate views
In his contribution about linking Christian and Muslim fundamentalists (“Don’t lump Christian, Muslim fundamentalists together,” Jan. 25), J. David Trawick asks, “Where have they passed a law requiring everyone to believe and worship the way the do?”
He overlooks several historical facts about Christian fundamentalists.
Aside from the persecution of Galileo, the Inquisition and the Salem witch trials, we have several modern instances of fundamentalists legislating their beliefs on the populace. The most publicized is the Scopes trial in Tennessee in the 1920s.
The teacher that dared to teach evolution as opposed to fundamentalist creationism was sentenced to jail.
We see persistent political pressure to legislate fundamentalist doctrine in issues of evolution, homosexuality, gambling, abortion, prohibition (alcohol and other drugs), birth control, divorce, unwed cohabitation, Sunday closings and women’s rights. These doctrines are not universally held by all—even all Christians.
Theocracy can be a creeping thing.
Jim Boland
Barksdale

All humans can regress, commit astounding acts
I thought J. David Trawick treated a very complex topic in a simplistic fashion (“Don’t lump Christian, Muslim fundamentalists together,” Jan. 25).
Over the years—and using the Bible to support their arguments—thousands of extreme fundamentalists persecuted and murdered black people. Many prominent, churchgoing citizens either supported or were members of the Ku Klux Klan.
Homophobia is still rampant in the United States as well as in largely Christian South America, black Africa, Europe and Asia. Millions use scripture to support their views against gays.
Retired Episcopal Bishop John S. Spong in The Sins of Scripture has illustrated dramatically how literal interpretations of biblical passages have led to the persecution of children, the environment, women and homosexuals for centuries.
I believe there is a logical reason that extreme Christian fundamentalists have not duplicated the behaviors of radical Islamic fundamentalists: We do not live under theocratic governments as many Muslims do.
Alexander Solzhenitsyn once said that “evil runs through the heart of every human.” I think all humans are capable of regressing to very basic territorial instincts and acting in ways that would astound us.
I’m not sure where the following quotation originated, but I found some truth in it:  “With or without religion, good people are going to do good things, and evil people are going to do evil things. But for good people to do evil things, it takes religion.”
Dan G. Adams
San Antonio