This letter is in response to the letter to the editor by Eva Bohler"Columnist wrong in religious debate".

As a freethinker, I found her arrogance and ignorance on the issue offensive. She claimed that John Bice was inaccurate and had an ignorant bias, whereas it is she who is more inaccurate and ignorant.

First, she posed the question of why an atheist would be offended by a statue of the Ten Commandments in a federal building. If one denies the existence of a god, then that person does not forfeit their right to be offended.

For example, if there were signs posted all over saying, "There is no God. All your beliefs are wrong," I'm sure there would be a wealth of Christians who would be offended. Next, she went on to claim some sort of reverse discrimination against Christians. Contrary to what many people believe, just because a court rules that there cannot be school-sponsored prayer, it does not mean that students can't pray on their own.

Regarding the chalkings, those derogatory sayings are a clear exercise of a person's First Amendment rights. It does not prevent you from practicing your religion, it only impedes its viral-like spread. The secular groups on campus experience defacement of this kind as well. Also, I have yet to see one of the supposed derogatory defacements on any Christian group's sign, aside from advertisements for competing groups.

Overall, Bohler ignores an important part of the First Amendment: The Establishment Clause. The government is supposed to respect one's right to freedom of religion, but it also must not favor one religion over another. In the words of President Washington, founding father, first U.S. President and atheist, "... I beg you be persuaded that no one would be more zealous than myself to establish effectual barriers against the horrors of spiritual tyranny and every species of religious persecution."

Michael Simons
computer science freshman