As a result of comments in today's media, I write to provide some insight about my thoughts on organized religion.

I want to be clear about one thing. I respect the role that religious organizations play I our communities and more importantly, that faith plays in people's lives. I appreciate the presence of religious organizations in our neighborhoods and the helping hand that many provide to those who need it. I recognize that religious organizations make an extremely important contribution to the health of communities throughout the state of Minnesota.

My recent quotes about organized religion only reflect a portion of my thoughts on the matter. While organized religion has not been a major influence in my adult life, I respect the beliefs and choices of others, including my close family members. Tolerance is at the core of my own personal beliefs. I have always been an advocate for freedom of religious expression.

My views about organized religion were dramatically shaped by my military experience in the Vietnam era and make me skeptical. I witnessed many instances of so-called religious leaders zealously marketing their beliefs to people too uneducated to comprehend what they were talking about and too poor to afford the money they were being asked to hand over. Yet there they were, handing over their last dollar for a baptism that they were promised was essential. And there were the religious marketers accepting that last dollar. I would think the spirit of religion would put the needs of people and families first and profit last. Further, I have always been offended by the imposition of extreme beliefs on another. I've witnessed in recent years an intolerance by some right wing leaders that disturbs me.

I hope that this letter sheds some light on my stance on religion. I look forward to working with you and other organizations to help build healthy, vital communities in Minnesota.

JESSE VENTURA,

Governor State of Minnesota

(in a letter to Dennis Carlson, President Minnesota Conference of Seventh-day Adventists)

[Dear Governor Ventura:

Thank you for your recent letter on organized religion. There are 65 Seventh-day Adventist congregations scattered around the state of Minnesota. As you may know, our practice of Protestant Christianity is similar to many other Protestant churches in that we believe that Jesus Christ is our personal Savior. Seventh-day Adventists look forward to the soon return of Jesus Christ. We worship on Saturday, the seventh day of the week, because we believe the Bible instructs us to do so; thus, the name of our denomination. Seventh-day Adventist churches in Minnesota were first established in the early 1860s. We are proud to be Adventist Christians and Minnesotans.

I am pleased to learn of your belief in freedom of religion and tolerance. Seventh-day Adventist Christians also believe that every citizen of our state and country should be free to practice his or her own religion within the bounds of law, or to have no religious affiliation. In your letter you did not expand further on one sentence where you referred to intolerance by some right-wing leaders. I believe this is a significant issue in America today. Seventh-day Adventists are in the forefront, along with our Baptist brethren, in emphasizing how vital is the separation of church and state, and also the non-establishment clause of our Constitution. There are elements of the Christian Right that would want to blur these issues and ignore or reinterpret the important principles that our nation's Founders placed within the Constitution.

I will check with the editor of Liberty magazine to be sure that your office is receiving a subscription to this excellent journal that deals with the issues of religious liberty in the United States and around the world.-Dennis N. Carlson, president of the Minnesota Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.]

[While many in the media deplored the governor's initial statement on religion, he clearly has the right to speak his mind. With Liberty magazine in hand, we trust he will come to a richer appreciation of both the value of religious faith and the need to maintain the healthy separation of church and state.-Ed.]

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It's Fundamental

I served as the executive director of the Lutheran office for Governmental Affairs from 1977 to 1988, enjoying good relationships and working with the Seventh-day Adventists.

I still receive Liberty, and am writing to thank you for the excellent article, "Tough Love," in the September/October issue. It struck several chords of response with the solid emphasis on freedom and church/state relations.

Once I wrote to Stan Moonyham about his sponsorship of the "Washington for Jesus Rally," which claimed to be a worship experience. His response was to repudiate his sponsorship. The work of those whom I call "political fundamentalists" has not abated since those days in 1980.

I recalled many of Martin Luther's statements on liberty as I read your article. I was also reminded of a statement that Desmond Tutu made on television a few months ago: "God would rather see a person go smiling into hell than to be coerced into heaven." That takes a little more reflection.

Enclosed is the Lutheran bishops' statement which also repudiates the misuse of church power.

CHARLES V. BERGSTROM

W. Yarmouth, Massachusetts

[Charles Bergstrom sent us the full text of the "Statement on Religion and Politics." While we may not necessarily endorse all the nuances of its position, it is a well-reasoned document. We particularly hold up the following paragraphs as noteworthy.-Ed.]

"In affirming the principle of separation of church and state, Lutherans in the U.S. respectfully acknowledge and support the tradition that the churches and the government are to be separate in structure. As the Constitution provides, government neither establishes nor favors any religion. It also safeguards the rights of all persons and groups in society to the free exercise of their religious beliefs, worship, practices, and organizational arrangements within the laws of morality, human rights and property. The government is to make no decisions regarding the validity or orthodoxy of any doctrine, recognizing that it is the province of religious groups to state their doctrines, determine their polities, train their leaders, conduct worship and carry on their mission and ministries without undue interference from or entanglement with government. . . .

"It is a misuse of terms to describe government and politics as godless or profane, because God rules both the civil and the spiritual dimensions of life. Thus it is unnecessary and unbiblical for any church group or individual to seek to "Christianize" the government or to label political views of members of Congress as "Christian" or "religious." It is arrogant to assert that one's position on a political issue is "Christian" and that all others are "un-Christian," "immoral," or "sinful." There is no "Christian" position; there are Christians who hold positions. Government under God employs reason and power for social justice, peace, and freedom.

"To describe one group's political position as "The Christian Voice" and one movement's political agenda as a movement "for Jesus" is wrongly judgmental. It is also an affront to Jewish and other religious advocates whose religions hold social justice as a social form of love of neighbor. Devout Christians and Jews agree and disagree between and among themselves regarding political decisions and can agree and disagree with nonbelievers. Advocacy for social justice is part of the mission of the churches according to Lutheran theology. Such advocacy may often bring disagreement on issues and votes as to how to strive for justice."