“A book that changed my mind: ‘The Screwtape Letters’ ” by Liza Libes (Ideas, June 29) caught my attention, in particular her line near the end: “I’ve come to appreciate the moral architecture that religion provides in a stable society — and I believe that it deserves a place in contemporary life.”
I have spent countless hours in innumerable town and city halls researching property records during my many years as a commercial real estate broker throughout Greater Boston. The number of times that I have seen the Ten Commandments displayed upon the walls and ceilings of these various buildings has been remarkable, and the image always struck me.
In spite of our country’s commitment to the separation of church and state, I never found anything odd or improper about these displays. The “moral architecture” that they proclaim is surely an excellent blueprint for living a good life and, as such, it should be shouted from the mountaintops.
Thank you for Libes’s wonderful essay.
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Jim Nicoletti
Wellesley
The following is an edited sampling of comments BostonGlobe.com readers posted in response to Liza Libes’s Ideas piece:
C.S. Lewis “was simply proposing a philosophy for how to live well,” Libes writes. I think the author of “The Screwtape Letters” would disagree with this assessment. He had been, like Libes, a committed atheist. He became, very reluctantly, a convert to Christianity because he could not reason away the presence of God and the logic of the Gospel. (sideflare)
I find that the progressive bent of tolerance for everything except intolerance often turns into overt discrimination against people with certain religious beliefs. This is not an easy issue, but to me it often makes progressives look downright hypocritical rather than open-minded like this author. (DPier)
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I identify with the strong progressive social justice posture that the author articulates. While I think there is something to be learned from the tenets of many religious doctrines, I have come to witness that religious ideology and certainly religious fanaticism can impart more harm than good. I am far more drawn to spirituality — a notion not at all mentioned in the essay. The capacity to ask deep questions and nurture one’s soul, pursued both in solitude and community, offers meaningful benefits. I find that religion, which many might argue is a form or spiritual learning, also creates division in society, undermining the sense of acceptance, unity, and love that many religions purport. In my view, religion defeats itself. Perhaps it simply tries too hard. (Melting glacier up ahead)
True, religious fanaticism can do more harm than good, but let’s take a look at what secular fanaticism has brought us. There are lots of examples around the world where religion and churches have been banned or severely restricted and things didn’t turn out so well. The killing and suffering under secular regimes doesn’t prove that religious societies are any better than secular ones, but I think it shows how we’re all better off believing what we want and letting others do the same. The Founding Fathers got it right; there’s a reason they made freedom of religion the very first part of the Constitution. (NicksterNH)
Freedom of religion means I get to be free of yours. It is when others try to impose their beliefs on me or take the attitude that they are superior to me because of difference in beliefs that it becomes something abrasive and frustrating. (RiecaElex)
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This discussion would make a little more sense to me if Christians hadn’t made the polar opposite of Jesus our president — twice. They exposed themselves and their beliefs as fraudulent and showed me that they’re just like everyone else out there — in it for themselves and what they want. (rickefoose)
Christians come in many forms and beliefs. Some self-claimed Christians do evil in the name of God, but the United States has many good Christians who need to speak up more to show the love and acceptance of Jesus. (eastsight)
We’re waiting. (9.10.61)
The former priest of our parish told us that the word bible is an acronym for basic instruction before leaving earth. Religion teaches people how to live a life with purpose and compassion. Man is corruptible. God is truth. (Saint George)
