To the editor:

Whatever became of the separation of church and state? Kansas University receives funds from the state of Kansas. Does that mean professors should be conservatives who believe in intelligent design? How does a person’s belief or disbelief in God have anything to do with capability to teach academics?

It’s depressing that from some “open-minded Christians” I hear negativity, defensiveness and put-downs. Is that what Christianity preaches? Is that really what religion’s intended purpose is?

Maybe that’s one reason why I have struck out on my own to develop my own beliefs, which include, first and foremost, to accept and empathize with others, not just those who believe what I believe. I once heard a good man ask: “How can you be both open-minded and an atheist at the same time?” An obvious oxymoron arises, asking us all to question our perceptions, go back to kindergarten circle time, and ask: “What is the definition of open-minded, again?”

Ben Cropp,

Lawrence