Editor: I was very disappointed to read Jim McGregor (McGregor Says) in your Jan. 26 edition conclude that gang members might have a better conscience if only they went to Sunday school.
This type of suggestion is as equally naïve as it is arrogant.
Morality is not owned by religion, and furthermore, the Sunday school morality of homophobia, sexism, racism, stoning, and slavery is hardly a moral beacon.
But to suggest that a little of the good book would keep them on the straight and narrow is a dangerous mistake to make.
Really, what Mr. McGregor’s allegory tells is simply that the “right” thing is done by Sunday school attendants not because it is right and proper, but because they’re being watched.
In this case, he felt bad because he felt caught, not because he did something horrible.
That I’m afraid, is hardly moral at all.
Roland Bottiglieri,
Langley