Dear Editor,
You would think newspaper publishers might fear earthquake, fire, famine, war, pestilence, maybe even divorce. But, to their credit, they flinch at none of that. What they tremble at most, more than death itself, is free speech, at least one huge sector of that public landscape.
I write to publishers and their hand-picked editors regularly about every topic under the sun and they willingly entertain it, except religion. Even when the writing is done in a non-denominational, non-partisan, just-the-facts-ma’am kind of way, they turn their backs and go find a rock to hide under. I have a few theories.
Religion is a parallel universe in the U.S. and editors stay out of that universe. Newspapers feel called to report on “state,” but not on “church,” except for innocuous holiday stuff, and maybe service-in-the-community stuff.
Publishers operate in a “breaking news” world. They go with the flow. If there is not anything happening in religion at the moment, they don’t want to rock the boat and start something.
Newspaper people might devote a few column inches to, say, the Baptists openly arguing about critical race theory, or the Catholics murmuring about whether the abortion-loving Catholic President should be allowed to take communion, but that’s about it for church controversy.
Publishers don’t know history. A huge part of our history is religious history, religious culture, religious philosophy, religious politics, religious ethics. Publishers see nothing, hear nothing, and say nothing, because they know almost nothing about the past.
What publishers do know about religion, they don’t like. Religion has done a lot of bad, and not much good, so to hell with it. Now, where is that rock? It’s time to hide!
Kimball Shinkoskey
Woods Cross, Utah
Most people don’t want religious indoctrination put out as “news.” Your description of things in your letter shows bias.
Most people don’t want religious indoctrination put out as “news.” Your description of things in your letter shows bias.