Editor, Times-Union: In my first letter on the subject of church and state, I listed the example of ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) as the now leading example of pro-coerced union of church and state extremist in the Muslim world, closely followed by its former parent organization Al-Qaeda. I would like to add to the assorted bag of slightly less or somewhat less radical or representative regimes that I mentioned in the first letter. The regime of Syrian dictator Bashar Al-Assad, Egypt’s military dictatorship, and about half a dozen militant Islamic groups in Pakistan along with the Taliban to name a few more. There is also the recently ended four decade insurgency in the Pilippine’s by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. (www.nytimes.com/2014/01/26/world/asia/philippines-and-rebels-agree-on-peace-accord-to-end-insurgency.html) As Americans we should feel fortunate enough to live in a country that more or less supports the principle of Freedom of Religion for All and that refrains from the practice of socialist-style intervention in the free market of religious activity. Despite some of the occasional setbacks and struggles throughout our history, and the daily vigilance that must be maintained to keep us as an exception to the rule. This is sharp contrast to what residents of Muslim countries and other countries throughout history had to endure. (“Iraq Students Ponder Their Country’s Future-Aug. 4 edition of Times-Union Page 4A). The principle/definition listed below should be contrasted with the authoritarian principle of coerced union of church and state that appeared in the first letter. Definition-Freedom of Religion for All Freedom of religion is the inalienable right of each person whether alone or with others to peacefully, openly, freely and with respect for legitimate laws and the rights of others profess ones belief in the supernatural along with the tenents of one’s faith while engaging in the practice of a religion of one’s own choosing; or for one to peacefully, openly, freely and with respect for legitimate laws and the rights of others express one’s doubt in the existence of the supernatural along with the opinions and reasons for one’s independence from organized faith while refusing to practice any religion at all; and for each person to be free from having any part or whole of any local, state, regional, national, continental, or world government inflict upon them acts of persecution because of one’s beliefs or the lack thereof, forced conversation to any form of theism, mysticism, or atheism, intrusion into the intenal affairs of one’s congregation, denomination, or faith, involuntary aid of any sort to religious establishments or activities, compulsory adherence to sectarian laws, tenets, and decrees, the sanctioning and support of religious cartels, public churches, mandatory civic faith (s), the incremental or outright establishment of a universal state church/state religion or militant state atheism and the subsequent stifling of natural religious liberty and diversity from such aforementioned acts. Sincerely, Alexander Houze Leesburg
