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To the editor:
Sometimes I think that Ed Townsend writes his columns just for me.
Or to be more precise, just to infuriate me. In his ‘Here and There Beyond the News’ …
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Liberty
To the editor:
Sometimes I think that Ed Townsend writes his columns just for me.
Or to be more precise, just to infuriate me. In his ‘Here and There Beyond the News’ column published December 21 titled ‘Reason for the Season,’ he continues to promulgate the canard that the “rights of Christians (are) being called into question.”
This nonsense has been repeated so often that many believe it to be true.
We are a secular country with a secular constitution. There is nothing stopping anyone from worshiping an illegitimately-conceived demi-god and his autocratic dicta in any manner they see fit. Be my guest. Just keep it out of the public square and don’t foist it on me.
As an atheist, and a Jewish atheist at that, I am ecumenical in my revulsion to religion. Hanukkah is a particularly abhorrent holiday, celebrating militarism, intolerance and murder. We are taught early in our Jewish education that Matthias, the patriarch of the Maccabees, killed a fellow Jew when he stepped forward to worship an idol.
We are taught that this was a good thing. So much for tolerance.
One of the most positive changes in my 71 years has been the secularization of the Christmas season. It’s the time of year that essentially keeps our economy afloat with the burgeoning of retail purchasing and gift giving. Black Friday indicates the day at which retail companies actually begin to run in the black.
We don’t need religion to be kind and generous to our friends and family. Nor do we need it to reach out to those who are less fortunate than we are. It just requires us to be mensches, decent human beings.
Merry Christmas to all!
2 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here
A Jewish atheist? That’s like, “I’m a vegetarian who likes my steaks blood rare.” Happy New Year.
Saturday, January 1, 2022 Report this
lhfc1563
Wow, sounds like somebody smashed his Dreidel real early on!
Look up Jewish, Judaism and Atheist. You can't be what you say.
Monday, January 3, 2022 Report this