The Bible teaches us that in an ideal world, “mercy and truth are met together, righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” Instead, Texas has become the bellwether for a world where justice spits on mercy. We can and must do better.
Rosemary C. McDonough
Narberth, Pa.
To the Editor:
Re “God Has No Place on the Supreme Court,” by Linda Greenhouse (Sunday Review, Sept. 12):
As a minister of 35 years, I am distressed by the continued reference to “God” in letters, opinion pieces and articles without some sense of which God is being referred to. Ms. Greenhouse is one of the very best commentators, and she is right that God does not belong in the Supreme Court to be sure, but which God is she referring to, or is the Supreme Court referring to?
Is it the God of the Hebrew Bible or the New Testament? Allah or Gaia, Thor or Kali, Elihino from the Cherokee tradition, the Buddha or Shiva? There are thousands of Gods. Is it the God of Paul Tillich or Dietrich Bonhoeffer or Jerry Falwell? It would be so helpful to identify which God is being cited, as there is certainly more than one.
Jim Nelson
Pasadena, Calif.
To the Editor:
Having litigated constitutional law matters, and as a former board member of New Jersey Right to Choose, I (alas) have to take issue with “God Has No Place on the Supreme Court.”
The reality is that since our founding, “God” always has held a place in the public arena (often against my agnostic preferences). The Declaration of Independence famous declares that it is not “government,” but our “Creator” who has endowed us “with certain unalienable rights.”
Indeed, the Supreme Court courtroom is adorned with such religious imagery as Moses holding the Ten Commandments. Thus, while I greatly sympathize with Linda Greenhouse’s philosophy, I cannot ignore facts that run to the contrary.
Two-thirds of Americans want abortion to remain safe and legal, if not entirely then at least to some extent. Thus, the pro-choice movement would do well to focus its energies on securing abortion rights through the legislative process. While there unfortunately may be outlier states such as Texas and Mississippi, if two-thirds of Americans want to preserve some degree of abortion rights, they should persuade their elected legislators to do just that, and not rely upon the whims of unelected justices.
