In Ed Gaskin’s “Christianity too often co-opted to oppress,” (Feb. 8), Mr. Gaskin justifiably details the evil use by Christians to denigrate Black people and to enslave them. Their use of Biblical texts to buttress their beliefs is a sad and disgraceful chapter both in American history and for those of us who claim to be Christ’s followers.
It’s understandable the many of those people he cites who were raised in Christian homes threw away their faith in light of these so-called Christian acts on Black people.
However, Mr. Gaskin makes an egregious error in his broad brush of blaming Christianity for these terrible injustices. Has he forgotten that there were many Christian leaders who fought to end slavery and the terrible injustice that it wrought? Most of these people looked at their efforts as the natural display of what Christ wanted them to do. This group would include Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass (who delivered one of his best speeches at Tremont Temple), Dr. Michael Haynes of Twelfth Baptist Church of Roxbury, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and William Wilberforce, who almost single-handedly passed legislation in England to outlaw slavery in the British Empire. In addition to these people, does Mr. Gaskin want to forgot those many Christians who managed the underground railway?
Christianity has both a very tarnished history in slavery and the Crusades but it also has shining periods in which ordinary men and women of faith have risked everything to raise equality for all peoples. It all depends on how you use it.
Tom Chamberlain
Canton
Although Groundhog Day is in February, the real recurring phenomenon that happens every year at this time is “Super Sick Monday,” the day after the Super Bowl when an estimated 54 million Americans will be celebrating the end of the NFL football season. Nearly half of them will likely call in sick and those that do show up will be hungover en route to making it one of the least productive work days of the year.
According to online marketing site NetVoucherCodes, Super Sick Monday costs employers up to $3 billion in lost productivity— money that they will likely not recoup. And, of course, that costs the US Treasury tax revenue.
There is, however, one super easy solution to this problem. Have President Trump sign an executive order that makes President’s Day a floating holiday that automatically links up with Super Bowl Sunday, effective Feb. 2026.
Both President Trump and Elon Musk, who is in charge of DOGE which has “efficiency” in its very name, are experienced CEOs who I’m sure are very familiar with this annual phenomenon. This should take all of five seconds for them to agree upon this cost-saving, common sense suggestion that is widely popular with employees and employers alike. With a stroke of Trump’s Sharpie, he could effortlessly wipe this “Super Sick Monday” off the national work calendar while simultaneously skyrocketing the morale of tens of millions of Americans.
Now that’s what I call making America great!
Eugene R. Dunn
Medford, NY