Regarding “Drug measures pass,” Nov. 20, Page 16:

While I believe that the local church’s intent was to do good, the overall goal of trying to maintain drug prohibition is not moral and is not in keeping with Christ’s teaching. This is particularly true in terms of non-judgment. It isn’t valid for the Catholic Church to try to enforce its morality on the general public. Not only is the church judging others, but it also is interfering with the choice of the individual. God wanted people to have free will. Forcing someone to make a supposedly moral choice takes the moral virtue out of it for both the individual being forced and those who are doing the forcing.

Similarly, it is fine for the church to say that sexual intercourse is immoral outside of wedlock. That would be consistent with the religious teachings of most faiths. However, it would not be following the teachings of Christ to say that those who commit adultery or fornicate should be punished by the government. Such acts can be ruled as sins but it isn’t God’s justice to rule them as illegal. As Christ taught, it isn’t just to stone the adulteress.

However, if the church would like to offer outreach and counseling that helps those who are addicted, I would strongly support that. Faith-based treatment options would be an improvement over what we have now, which is Christian in some superficial aspects but also encourages people to worship any inanimate object as a substitute for Christ.

Silver Damsen

Charleston, Illinois