"Christian democracy" is theocracy

In today's NY Times:

To the Editor:

(Re The Ungovernable Catholic Church) 

I must say I am truly appalled. The thought that we need “a revived Christian democracy in the United States” that would “draw upon official church teaching as well as pilfer from the best of secular culture” is truly frightening.

As an American Jew, I feel that the best protection that all people have from Christian coercion is a constitutionally mandated secular state that prohibits favoring any religion.

Everyone should have the freedom to pursue religion (or no religion) within the safety of their homes and institutions, but our public square needs to be free to welcome those with any religious or nonreligious tradition.

David Jaffe

Montgomery Village, Md.

Rob's comment:

As an American atheist, I agree that everyone must be free to "pursue" any religious superstition, major or minor, they choose. 

But the best choice is "no religion," since religious belief is the worst mistake you can make about life. As the late, great Christopher Hitchens wrote, Religion Poisons Everything.

Ross Douthat has another stupid column in today's Times, opining that somehow the US left is as great a threat to freedom as our proto-fascist conservative right and the vile Republican Party. This is both sides-ism gone amok.