I read The Daily Advance regularly and particularly I read the opinion page because it is the most fun in the whole paper. Many times I read real feelings expressed. Sometimes I agree, but most of the time it is just another opinion. Many comments are made about current events and sometimes the same old stuff comes up. For example, things wouldn’t be that way if they hadn’t taken God out of the courts or the schools.

There’s not much chance of things changing as long as folks are as confused and uninformed as they seem to be. Many of the readers who take the time to write out their comments believe that God has been taken out of the courts and the schools. But nothing can be further from the truth. The motto of this country is still “In God We Trust.” Whether or not you agree with that, it is the motto of this country, printed all over the place, set in stone on many government buildings, even on the money we use every day.

The problem comes when the symbols and prayers offered by public officials and institutions represent a secular belief. Check out the 1st Amendment and you will find the reason why a school teacher or judge cannot lead a gathering in a Christian prayer or post a replica of the Ten Commandments scroll. Other religions are not represented, and the impression is that this is the official position of the government in that institution. A Mormon, Muslim, or Hindu going to court for a traffic violation in Chowan County will probably feel less likely to get fair treatment than if they were in a place where their religious beliefs were the dominant faith.

I know that we are supposed to all be equal under the law, according to the law, but let’s be real about this. A lot of people live primarily by their religious beliefs and not by man’s law, which is what the courts are there to uphold. These people go to church two or three times a week and only come in contact with the law through the news media and very seldom if ever have to go to court. Most people only know what they are told and not many actually look into things they read in the newspaper or hear on TV. These truths are available to any who are truly interested in another opinion.

WILLIAM STINSON

Edenton