To the editor:

Here recently the Public Forum resembles a Christian pulpit, each person professing to know the will of God. I have nothing against religious freedom unless it becomes extremism. I notice conservative candidates fighting each other for the vote of the religious right. However, when you start legislating your religious agenda, that scares me and approaches extremism.

Speaking for all those freedom-loving heathen pagans, I believe, much like the patriot Thomas Paine, that organized religion, whether Muslim, Christian, or Jewish, is an invention to subjugate man and imprison his mind, will and spirit. I look around the world and people killing each another in the name of God – in most cases, contrary to what Cal Thomas thinks, the same God worshipped by Christian, Muslim and Jew who continue to kill each other all over the Mideast. Christian and Muslims are killing each other in Africa, Hindus and Muslims in India and not too long ago Christian killing Christian in Northern Ireland.

Don’t say it can’t happen here. I fear America is mutating into a Christian Iran, where freedom does not exist. If you think it can’t happen in a Christian country, examine the Spanish Inquisition a few centuries ago.

In response to Mr. Burkhead and his fire and brimstone, I have nothing to repent for. I don’t need to quote scripture and verse, my bible is my conscience, which is clean. You probably think I am condemned to eternal damnation, but that would only be true if I had to spend eternity with religious zealots!

Craig Tucker,

Lawrence