Letters to the Editor: Separation of church and state ‘is under great threat’ and must be protected

To the editor: Separation of church and state is a founding principle of our great nation and it is under great threat. The earliest colonists, who fled here to escape religious persecution, were seeking the freedom to follow their own beliefs — to not have any ruler or government dictate their faith, which meant keeping church and state separate.

Now, almost 250 years later, Christian nationalist pastor Doug Wilson has found an influential spot within President Trump’s Washington (“Pastor Doug Wilson’s fringe teachings go mainstream in Trump’s Washington,” Sept. 8) while proponents of the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 are determined to force their religious beliefs on all Americans. State by state, there is a creep of religion into politics and public schools. Even though many Republicans claim to revere the Founding Fathers, members of the party are infringing upon one of the most fundamental and successful tenets of our democracy — separation of church and state.

If Congress won’t stop these violations, then the courts need to do their job to uphold this critical principle of our nation.

Beth Wagner Brust, San Diego

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To the editor: The Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches’ subordination of women is appalling. I have not met anyone of any gender who wishes to be dominated. I attribute my 45 years of happy marriage with my late wife to us maintaining equal power in our relationship. If our household roles were reversed, I would’ve been equally happy.

I challenge the pastor and his flock to have a day, week or even a month of role reversal with their spouses. See how it feels.

Steve Engel, Santa Cruz