Letters to the Editor: Christians don’t love Trump, they just fear the Democrats

To the editor: One does not have to like President Trump to fear the danger the left poses to religious freedom in America. (“Trump’s ‘religious freedom’ initiative is mostly a rehash of current law — yet still finds a way to be troubling,” editorial, Jan. 17)

Faith does not stop at the church door. This is why the Roman Catholic Church started establishing universities and hospitals in the Middle Ages.

Freedom is violated when doctors and nurses at religion-affiliated hospitals must conduct abortions, help with physician-assisted suicide or participate in other procedures that are against their moral beliefs. Furthermore, where are the pro-life Democrats?

The L.A. Times Editorial Board correctly cites the fear of lawsuits by school administrators if they allow constitutionally protected speech on campus, but it minimizes the climate of fear that prevents many from expressing their faith in public.

It is not that we love Trump, but that we fear the alternative.

Larry Walker, Canoga Park

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To the editor: Whatever Trump’s lack of earnest religious beliefs, he understands a key electoral reality: The “religious freedom” championed by the huge conservative Christian voting bloc must include the freedom to impose their faith on public school students.

Christian conservatives long have sought to indoctrinate students through teacher-led classroom prayers. They still lament the 1962 U.S. Supreme Court decision that prohibited this unconstitutional practice.

Still, they push for classroom activities that serve to marginalize and ostracize students who are nonbelievers. That’s why they tout daily classroom recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, which since 1954 has included the pious “under God” phrase.

For the next nine months, expect a biblical deluge of Trump’s so-called religious liberty initiatives. He knows that his reelection salvation rests squarely on Christian conservatives’ near-total support.

Glenda Martel, Los Angeles