Hugh Odneal, Jefferson City
Dear Editor,
The recent article on abortion is all over the place with the executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis stating "none of our religious views on abortion or anything else should be enshrined in our laws." What would society look like with no laws against murder, rape, robbery, or other laws based on Biblical morality?
Five women, of different religions, in Indiana, state the ban on abortion "infringe on their beliefs." Are they saying their belief includes abortion, child sacrifice?
Michelle Banker saying, "The whole law violates separation of church and state." But she doesn't explain how.
While words separation of church and state is not in the constitution, it is implied in the First Amendment but not in the way it is abused. This is from President Jefferson's letter to the Danbury Baptist Association that further clarifies this. "Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions," The First Amendment and President Jefferson's letter both agree government stays out of religion, period. They both, as well as the Declaration of Independence, agree there is a power above Congress implied in the First Amendment, Congress shall not ... There is no stipulation on religion other than to be peaceable.
The Bible teaches the baby in the mother's womb is a unique and special person and so does science. You can give different names for the different stages of development, fertilization, zygote, embryo, fetus, etc. but don't we do the same for out of the womb, baby, pre-adolescent, adolescent, teenagers, adult, mid-life, seniors, etc. All of these are used to identify where we are in life, not to define life. Not even the law of biogenesis defines life; it only states life can only come from life, and life of the same kind, agreeing with Genesis 1.
A quote from John Jay, the first chief justice: "No human society has ever been able to maintain both order and freedom, both cohesiveness and liberty apart from the moral precepts of the Christian religion ... Should our republic ever forget this fundamental precept of governance, this great experiment will then surely be doomed." I agree and live a life guided by the moral teaching of the Bible.