The Observer, February 8, 2008
Volume XL, Issue 16
Letter to the Editor: Roy should stop writing about religion
To the Editor:
The history of the naming of the Liberty Bell is inconsequential compared to HR 110-888. But I'd like to at least set the record straight on that one:
The bell we know today as the Liberty Bell was first cast in 1751 and called the "State House Bell." It was made for the 50th anniversary of William Penn's Charter of Privileges, as Tulsi actually got right.
Abolitionists in 1835 used the bell as symbol for their cause, and they began to call it the Liberty Bell. They felt that their cries for an end to slavery resonated with the inscribed Leviticus directive to "Proclaim liberty throughout the land, to all the inhabitants thereof."
The name "Liberty Bell" DOES therefore come from its Biblical inscription. See http://www.ushistory.org/libertybell/.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion."
Tulsi here is (incorrectly) interpreting our First Amendment way too loosely. Over 200 years later, the wording of our Bill of Rights presents a gray area that people love to debate. But I would hardly say that designating an "American Religious History Week" is promoting a national religion. The bill never purports to favor a specific doctrine over any others, and no one will be forced to acknowledge the holiday by any sort of celebration.
I imagine that next Tulsi will find fault with National Black History Month because it isn't expressly provided for in the Constitution. Tulsi, did you know that we have a National Day of Prayer? Do you have a "teensy weensy problem" with that too?
Tulsi also erroneously claims that HR 110-888 permits state-sanctioned religion and that it would force teachers to preach religion in history classes. Nowhere are these two acts described in the bill, and Roy fails to explain how she pulled those ideas out of thin air. The public link to the full text of the bill is available at http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=hr110-888; I've read it twice and implore anyone else to point out those provisions to me.
Tulsi Roy, due to the nature of your last several articles, it seems as if your job at The Observer is to look up obscure stories regarding religion and then tear them to pieces without any real facts. With all due respect, please find something else to write about and stop hating on other people's beliefs.
Recent national surveys and censuses show that about 80 percent of Americans identify themselves as Christians, and nearly 90 percent say they believe in God. See http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/012/724ddkgc.asp. I wouldn't call such a significant portion of our population "a few fringe Christian fundamentalists" or "a handful of brainless zealots."
If I want to read an unbiased story about religion in my weekly newspaper, your unsubstantiated rantings are the last place I'd want to look. I think it's high time you applied yourself to some more newsworthy stories, and maybe bothered to look up some real facts before you get it published.
Michael Lyrenmann
Undergraduate student
Editor's note: We give our columnists the freedom to write about whatever they choose. Their opinions do not reflect the opinions of The Observer or its staff.
