John Demakowski

To the Editor:

Ellen Goodman has a point in her op-ed in March 1st's Concord Monitor. The fact is that true religion has always been a personal choice. But America, the U.S. that is, had shared a common set of principles and values, which have been termed our Judeo Christian heritage. Did this increase hypocrisy? Probably. Yet it's benefit far out weighed this negative. It not only tempered our society it also brought a blessing. Neither was it considered an official religion. Rather it was a recognizing of self-evident truths that allowed these principles to be woven into our culture.

In today's culture were we see these principles gradually being replaced by pluralism: Is it any wonder that even after a decline in crime probably due to a Minority Report like effect of legalized abortion, Crime is on the rise and there is a crisis in the growing population of our prisons. Our children are failing miserably in our schools and increasingly we've become a society that cannot decipher truth from lies, where the media would rather influence an election than give us a congruent picture of what is happening in the world.

The influence of Christianity has made it possible for democracy to succeed in America. As it is now: Iraq my prove to be more fertile for democracy than the U.S. of A. As for me give me that old time religion.

John Demakowski

Franklin