As much as it pains me to admit it, after perusing the writings of many of the founding fathers, I find it to be a legitimate argument that our country was founded on Christian principles. That being said, that fact holds no validity that we should be guided by or governed by the preachings of the Bible to this day.

A perfect example of my reasoning is found in Lee Litvinenko’s letter (“This nation was formed under God”, published April 19) where he quotes senator Robert Byrd, one of the most bigoted and racist men to ever serve in the U.S. Senate, claiming we are a Christian nation.

My argument has always been that our lives should not be guided by the ignorant myths, fables, and legends written long before man had any basic understanding of the universe and our place in it, which we could easily compare to be less than a grain of sand on an endless beach.

At the time of these supposed sacred writings, Earth was the center of the universe and heaven was just above the clouds. To hold on to these teaching of pure ignorance as somehow the all knowing guide to living a decent life is ludicrous to say the least.

There are so many examples in the Bible of the ignorance of the world around us that it is laughable that these beliefs should be given any more credence than the myths of Odin, Zeus or any of the thousands of other gods that have been created by man over the millennia. Man has evolved to be a creature of reason and logic who has seen the evidence of our minimal importance in the scheme of the universe. All religions vastly exaggerate our presence on our planet to be anymore than a cosmic coincidence.

If you need the promise of an eternal life in heaven or the fear of eternal damnation, what does that really say about your true character? To me the goal of every person living could be to leave this earth a better place than we found it, even if that contribution may be small. And by better, I don’t mean by trying to impose my beliefs on others. Just sayin’.

Larry Benson

Enumclaw