The Dispatch has covered both sides of the debate over the display of a painting of Jesus in the Jackson Middle School (“ACLU opposes Jesus painting,” Jan. 11 Dispatch article, and “Atheists could post plaque of their beliefs,” letter from Raymond Todd Petit, last Sunday).
Petit called this an effort “to suppress religion” and implicated both the American Civil Liberties Union and atheists. His finger-pointing is misdirected. It is the Founding Fathers who addressed both issues.
The establishment clause of our Constitution prevents the adherents of any religion from displaying the symbols of their faith in government-controlled places. And, the free-exercise clause guarantees that every person can privately embrace and practice all the tenets of his particular religion.
Our Constitution does not allow the adherents of any religion to impose their beliefs and practices on society as a whole.
DAVID REID LANKARD SR.