Keith Raffel’s recent opinion column (“Did too many of them play hooky during history class?”) makes an important point – facts are essential to democracy. Knowledge of history can deepen our patriotism, especially when we learn from the mistakes we have made. We were given a Constitution that allows us to “bring about a more perfect union.” It seems that our love of money has corrupted our school curriculum by putting more emphasis on learning marketable skills than on creating responsible citizens.

Some have argued, erroneously, that our country is a Christian nation. In fact, our founding fathers did all they could to protect our religious diversity, including our freedom not to be religious. Christianity, historically the most popular faith in America, has been corrupted by money, too. The Prosperity Gospel, promoted by several televangelists, starting in the 1950s, holds that believers have a divine right to prosper in all areas of life, including finances, health, marriage, and relationships. Really? Jesus’ words to the rich man, “Sell everything you have, give it to the poor, and follow me,” are a challenge to that line of thinking.

There is a way forward that combines the best of both history and Christian faith:

“You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32) With all the access we have to information, we simply need to decide which sources to trust. Always, this involves listening to opposing views and challenging “information” that undermines our natural instinct to be compassionate.

The parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) teaches us that our neighbor is the person we encounter who needs us. As we learn more about the world, we realize we have a lot of neighbors.

The Beatitude that says “Blessed are the peacemakers,” (Matthew 5:9) encourages us all to tear down the walls we have allowed to be built between us. And some of our neighbors (think Israel, Gaza, Russia, Ukraine) are killing each other. Can we help?

Recently, we have seen what can happen in countries where fear and greed are not challenged by citizens. The Russian people are not free to honor Alexei Navalny’s heroic life, but we Americans can. And unlike our Russian neighbors, we can revitalize our republic by electing people who want to solve problems. Perhaps, even more important than knowing our history, is the question “Do we care enough?”

Carolyn C. Peterson

Houghton