The cover story of the May 15, 1995 issue of Time Magazine, "The Right Hand of God," detailed the success of Ralph Reed in his Christian Coalition crusade to dominate the GOP and take over U.S. politics.

The "Christian Coalition" effort to control the Republican Party and the U.S. Congress is a frightening warning of the insidious movement to establish a 'theocracy' in this nation. Apparently Pat Robertson, Pat Buchanan and Cal Thomas are using youthful Ralph Reed to 'establish the Kingdom of God on this the American continent.' Their crusade to 'restore family values' is really sloganeering for 'establishing religious values' to replace the 'human values' of our constitutional democracy. Citizens who support this theocratic movement should review that great era of the Holy Roman Empire when Christianity ruled with inquisitions and religious crusades. They should also review the repressive Christian government of Spain that killed every Jew that refused to convert to Christianity. To balance the historical picture, study the history of nations that repressed religious freedom such as the 75-years of human suffering in the U.S.S.R.

The great strength of the United States is the separation of religion and politics. Religions have the responsibility of influencing voluntary individual moral and ethical values. Our political structure is responsible for creating the mandatory legal values of society. Religion and politics are influential competitors but neither have the right to interfere with the internal operations of the other. This competition promotes the growth of human freedom from both religious and secular oppression. Domination by either restricts freedom of thought and freedom of expression.

Imagine the protests that would arise from the right-hand-of-god-organizations if political parties tried to influence religion with the same intensity religions are infiltrating our body politic! Our political leaders should make it clear, as did Barry Goldwater, that religious involvement with partisan politics is reprehensible.

--Flo Wineriter