This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
"Secular disdain for religion" (Opinion, Oct. 21), by Sutherland Institute president Paul Mero, was the silliest thing I have read in a long time.
Mero thinks that elaborate language can substitute for cohesive content. Case in point: "Condemning organized religion because of the Inquisition or the Taliban is like condemning Albert Einstein because some people have low IQs." Really? How does that even make sense?
Mero argues that civil society requires religion. "All but the secular mind pause to reflect persistently on the purpose of life." Logically, wouldn't religion provide the answer to the meaning of life? Mero had it backward: The person of faith would be carefree, knowing the answer; the secular human would be persistently pondering.
Thanks to George Pyle for getting it right in "Religion replaced by civil society" (Opinion, Oct. 14). Pyle is a consistent breath of fresh air in a Sunday Opinion section sometimes rife with stale ideas from local ideologues.
Sadly, getting a banner headline and plenty of costly space gives Mero credibility he does not deserve. But I don't blame The Tribune. Condemning The Tribune for Paul Mero would be like condemning Albert Einstein for the atomic bomb.
Sheri Poe Bernard
Salt Lake City