I think it's terribly facetious of you to close your letter by saying you "hope my heart will open, and my life gets better." My life does not need to get better, nor my heart need opening, but apparently some minds do need opening.
I'm a strong independent woman and you saying that you "fail terribly on your own" breaks my heart. I take pride in knowing that I can take care of myself, move on from struggles, and still be a kind and caring person, without religion. My entire point was that everyone needs to shut up about religion. Whether you believe or don't believe, don't write about it in the paper because it's never going to end, ever.
And I personally believe that something so personal and internal as religion shouldn't be tossed around so casually. If you take pride in being a Christian, religious person, or even an atheist, have the self constraint to turn the other cheek at the letter that sparked this entire debate. If you're confident in your beliefs and ideals and don't need reassurance in them, you shouldn't have to babble to the newspaper to make yourself feel worthy.
In other countries, religion is not a staple point of conversation like it is here in the United States. In France, asking someone if they believe in God is comparable to asking a woman how much she weighs or a man what his salary is. It's considered rude to ask, so ranting on and on in a public forum would also be seen as inappropriate. It's my wish for this to become customary in my community, however bigoted it may be now.
