To the Editor:
Regarding last week’s article, “Nonpartisan school race…,” (District 2 candidate Lisa) Buchanan made this a partisan race when she first declared herself a ‘Conservative Christian’ in your previously published “Meet the Candidates” feature. The simple fact is that religion has no place in our public schools. If you disagree, feel free to enroll your child in any of the religiously-affiliated schools in the area (I would also encourage you to not accept taxpayer subsidies to pay for that, but I digress).
Imagine the outrage if a candidate had declared themselves a ‘‘Traditional Hindu,” ‘‘Progressive Buddhist,” ‘‘Orthodox Jew” or ‘‘Devout Muslim.” But ‘‘Conservative Christian” gets a pass because many people see them as non-offensive because they look similar or have the same beliefs. Those who do not look or believe the same have all too often seen the predictably toxic and venomous response from the evangelical right and decided that expressing their disagreement and concern is not worth it.
If a candidate cannot separate their religious beliefs from their public duties, they are not representative of all people and are unfit for office. There can be no doubt that the ‘‘parents rights” these candidates champion line up conveniently with their chosen religious principles.
Andy Barber, Cullowhee
Recent Comments