Editor:

This letter is in response to Daniel W. Martin's column "Why not freedom from religion?" (Jan. 23) Mr. Martin is entitled to his opinion as much as anyone else. However, it is worthwhile to address some serious problems and misinformation in this column.

Mr. Martin, your idea of an ideal society is one in which we are "free from religion." You want to be unshackled from that archaic idea of God and press on alone. Well, if you are a student of history you will know that you are in "good" company. Some "great" men throughout history have thought like you. Stalin, Hitler, Mao and Mussolini to name a few. And obviously, the societies they created by turning away from a belief in God were "freethinking." Human carnage, suffering and social chaos ensued in the years following their respective rules. This is atheism's logical outcome, chaos.

You see, the problem with your atheism is that without God your morality and that of a society is on shaky ground. If the atheist forms his morality on society standards, those were, and for the most part are, based on theistic morality. Any other way to come to a system € utilitarian, etc. - of defining morality becomes subjective. You might choose to be moral yourself, but nothing dictates that, or allows, you to criticize the thief, murderer or rapist apart from God's morality. Take away God and there would be no moral absolutes. Again, atheism's logical outcome, moral depravity.

Lastly Mr. Martin, if you are going to attack Christianity, it would be worthwhile to get your facts straight. You said, "... here's the big contradiciton: If God is real and unconditionally loves everyone, then wouldn't he/she forgive me, like they say?" Who is they? The Bible and no orthodox Christian I know would say something like that. This is what Christians believe. God does love you, however, you are sinful and because God is holy this has separated you from Him. Only by accepting what Christ did for you will you avoid hell. You were right, God will forgive you, but only if you accept what Christ did on the cross.

Ben Rushlo
MIS junior