After reading “Protesters rally against courthouse Christmas ‘mockery’ “, and Del. Minchew’s statement concerning the protesters rights “Even though the First Amendment provides individuals the right to do that doesn’t make it right”  concerns me. As an attorney and a member of the House of Delegates, Mr. Minchew should know that the First Amendment doesn’t provide rights, we already have the rights outlined, what the First Amendment does is guarantee that Congress will not infringe on the freedom of speech, the free excerise of religion, the right to peaceably assemble and the right to petition the Government. I would also point out that that while the First Amendment does prohibit Congress from infringing on these rights, it doesn’t say that Congress will protect me from the consequences of excerising these rights.

While I agree with the protesters that the idea of separation of church and state does not exist in the Constitution, I disagree with the blanket statement by some protesters that “the United States was founded by individuals who came here for religious freedom, which means our country was founded on Christianity and a belief of God.” As I understand the history of our country people came for many reasons and yes religious freedom was one of them, but not the only one. 

While I agree that it appears that the framers of the Constitution believed in God and the majority of them were Christians, the guarantee in the First Amendment that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ...,” makes it clear that we are free to exercise whatever religion we wish. I would also like to point out that nowhere does it say that we are protected from religion.

David J. McMurrer

Leesburg