Guest columnist Ray Garrett’s recent comments on Christian principles “Christian principles are U.S. foundation” (The Oxford Eagle, July 14, 2016) being the foundation of the U.S. government contains a number of fallacies that merit a rebuttal.

He states that Jefferson based the Declaration of Independence on the fact that the rights of the American people are a gift from our God.

Sorry. It’s not a fact that the rights of Americans come from God. That’s an opinion. One not held by the millions of American non-god believers.

Garrett also states that the argument that we are given our rights by God clearly establishes that the founders intended the government be based on Christian values.

Wrong again.

It can just as easily be argued that the government be based on deist notions of God rather than Christian notions.

Regarding the First Amendment, Mr. Garrett states that it was never intended to keep God out of the government. Actually, that is one of its purposes.

In his concluding paragraph, Mr. Garrett suggests Americans should support the return of the government to one that embraces our founding Christian principles.

Perhaps in his next commentary Mr. Garrett can explain to us which of those marvelous Christian principles gave us four generations of American slavery, 140 years of denying women the right to vote, and more than a century of confiscating the lands of Native Americans.

Scott Owens

Oxford