Gotta love the COVID comedy contained in the April Fools letter, Light is delusional, deranged or an atheist. Does the delusional letter-writer recognize that an unquantifiably higher number of crimes and deaths have occurred in the name of God than atheism? The Spanish Inquisition unleashed God only knows torture on non-believers or people who just didnt believe in the right god. 9/11s destructive barbarity was inflicted in the name of God with the 9/11 monsters volunteering their life to defend their god. Or is this letter-writer arrogantly stating that she has a monopoly on god that others lack?

Some children make up imaginary friends, and my theory is some adults carry on this illusory practice and call their imaginary friend God. Everyone has their own god, with the mode being no god at all that Pew & Gallup polling estimates the low end to be 10% while recognizing: 1. Peoples reluctance to claim to pollsters atheist status (which most definitely does not include me); and 2. Atheism slowly creeping up in recent decades (church membership has certainly dropped ... Gallup: 1999 church membership 70% vs. 2019 down to 50% with 20% decline attributable to the increase in no religion).

Might this god phenomena stem from people taking themselves too seriously, filled with self-importance, unable to accept their own personal insignificance in the scheme of it all? Logic demands that societal living in a community makes us interdependent with a necessary tolerance of views differing from ones own. Honesty, respect and mutual consideration support a do unto others as youd have done unto yourself internal dictum that makes any external god or Jesus figure unnecessary. Please apply this universal standard to everyday living and voting come Nov. 3, Election Day.

Jay Lustgarten

Westerly

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Letter: Honesty, respect needed in society, but not God - The Westerly Sun