I am writing re: the November 1 editorial "Reformation's shadow lingers over modern life" by Nathan Geide. While you may very well have had nothing to do with the totally inappropriate title of your editorial, Mr. Giede, I have to wonder about your grasp of history, as well as the word of God.
You stated, "In the violence wrought by religious warfare, the secular state was founded as a way to bring about peace between the warring factions."
What? Wasn't the Roman government that put Jesus Christ to death secular? If not, was it Christian? Is that why it crucified Christ and later fed Christians to the lions? It wasn't Jewish, as the Jews acknowledged that they did not have the power to put Christ to death, though they wanted to.
As far as outright theocracies go, they are fairly rare today, other than the Vatican, which has direct rule over little of the world's landmass. The Old Testament account of Israel, a family that became a nation, called God's people, strictly mandated that no king of Israel, no head of the state, could also be a priest. Israel's first king, Saul, lost his kingdom because he involved himself in the ministry of the priest.
I suggest that the separation of church and state is taught in the word of God and as Protestant belief is based on the Bible, you see that in products of Protestantism, such as countries as the U. S. The United States has been a tremendous success, that has affected Canada and the world in many positive ways. It is a country that Mexicans have been risking everything to get into.
As Harvard scholar Samuel Huntington declared in his 2004 book, Who Are We?, if America had been settled by Spanish Catholics instead of British Protestants however, it would be Mexico today. Thank God it wasn't.
We should celebrate the 500th anniversary of what Martin Luther sparked and when we enjoy democracy and freedoms, such as freedom of speech and religion, continue to be thankful for the Protestant Reformation.
Paul Serup
Prince George
