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Taking threat seriously

Gary Williams, in his letter printed April 1 in the Moscow-Pullman Daily News, raises a good question. It is true that Christ Church is not the only religion to teach and practice that women should be submissive to men. It’s also true that CC is not the only religion wishing to convert everyone to their faith. Why then should we concern ourselves with Wilson and his followers?

Because we do not want Moscow to become a patriarchal theocracy. Wilson is not coming to us offering compassion and faith; he wants to change our way of life in this free country of ours. The stated mission on the Christ Church website home page is “to make Moscow a Christian town” followed by a good description of theocracy: “with Christian leadership in arts, in business, in education, in politics and in literature.” Wilson has stated that his is a warrior approach to Christianity, and that Moscow would be of value to take over. He has received national and international press and recognition, and his is a multi-million-dollar enterprise, with a press; K-12 school; college; and followers who own a sizable part of downtown Moscow, and now are building large housing developments both south and north of town.

I am just one of many who support a community where all individuals are included, valued, and respected and who recognize the importance of the separation of church and state; our public school system; gender equality; and protection of marginalized minorities, all of which are threatened by Wilson’s declared culture war. We need to search for ways to bring our town together in peace while maintaining our positive core values for the benefit of all people. But Wilson’s takeover is not an idle threat, and we are not paranoid to take it seriously.

Joann Muneta
Moscow

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