Bible no longer national standard

In America people have always been free to believe whatever they want, to worship their own "god" or not to believe in any "god" at all. But as a nation we always, always accepted Christ and the Bible as the national standard for right and wrong.

Students at all schools were taught that the Bible was the only standard for right living. (For instance, I was honored at Chattanooga Central in the early 1960s at the request of our principal, Mr. Hobart Millsaps, to lead the entire student body assembly in a brief devotion and prayer from the Bible, and we all began each day with Bible reading, prayer and the "Pledge of Allegiance" to our great country in our individual homerooms.)

Back then the schools' biggest problems were chewing gum and talking in class, running in the halls and sometimes skipping school. Now our schools' problems are drugs, teenage pregnancy, complete disrespect for authority, violence, even murder on our campuses. I wonder why. Really, it's very simple: America has given away the Bible as its national standard for truth and for right and wrong.

DAVID KING

Harrison

It's hard to know where to stand

I feel so torn. I believe we are doing the right thing in Afghanistan but if Afghani soldiers came over here to "liberate" the United States I'd shoot them.

I believe we have a right to protect our borders but we also have a responsibility to keep freedom alive for immigrants.

I think anybody who uses abortion as a form of birth control should be locked up, but a married woman with two kids and a husband shouldn't have to risk her life giving birth to a baby that's already dead or dying.

Gay marriage doesn't bother me half as much as elected officials who fool around.

I want a conservative Supreme Court but then I get confused when conservatives complain about habeas corpus and fair trials.

I don't want government bureaucrats telling me how many days I can stay in the hospital but right now I've got corporate bureaucrats willing to send me home three days after open-heart surgery.

Most of all, I wish someone would tell me whether I am a liberal or a conservative because I just don't know any more.

DR. MICHAEL PUGH JR.

Hixson

Drop arms, learn to live in peace

World leaders have recognized our president as a person who honestly reaches out to other national leaders, encouraging them and working with them to build a road toward world peace. His constant message to the world is that if we can resolve our conflicts through dialogue and compromise, we will move forward toward the peace that we all desire.

I thought it ironic that on the day after our president was awarded the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize, that the entire top half of the front page of the newspaper, except for one short column announcing the award, was given to pictures of fifth-grade children being given instruction on how to march and shoot rifles. While I firmly believe in the importance of teaching our children about our conflicts and wars,

I think what is most important is that they learn that in war everybody loses, even the winners, and in order for all nations to prosper, we must begin to lay down our arms and learn together how to live in peace and cooperation with one another.

DAVID CRIPPEN

Wildwood, GA.