The Test Of Fire

To the Editor:

I was sorry to read how offended one person was by the Test of Fire video presented on the St Rose website. [“Consigning Democrats To Hell,” Letter Hive, 5/4/12.] The Test of Fire is a reference to the durability of items forged by a blacksmith. It attempts to make the point that values should not be compromised to resolve more temporal problems, even though such problems may at the moment be of significant concern. Values will stand the test of fire, the test of time, they are durable.

The video exhorts Catholic voters to protect the sanctity of life, the inherent value of traditional marriage, and the constitutional guarantee of religious freedom. That the reader whose letter appeared last week, views this as the demonization of Democrats, is distressing.

Further the suggestion that Catholics may vote Republican “as a show of faith” totally misses the point. Every voter, not just Catholics, should vote to support their values, because in the end, it’s the values of its people which shape this nation. When the more promising solutions to the issues of the moment, are proposed by a candidate who does not stand with you regarding your deepest moral convictions, how should you vote?

Frederick Dwyer

17 Farm Field Ridge Road, Sandy Hook                      May 8, 2012