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                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, January 1, 1993                   TAG: 9301040282
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

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WHEN RESPECT BREAKS DOWN

I WANT to commend Geoff Seamans for his excellent column, "In Montgomery, an eruption of anti-Semitism slime" (Dec. 20) in the Roanoke Times & World-News.

Two additional points merit consideration. The institutions involved are public schools. As such, they are supported by taxes paid by persons of all faiths - Christians, Jews and, I dare say, even a few atheists.

In addition, there are many private schools of various religious orientations (for example, Catholic, Protestant, Baptist and yes, even Hebrew) in which the teaching of a single religious orientation is entirely reasonable and proper.

My second point is that one's religious orientation is a deeply personal matter, which in a democracy must at all times and by all means be respected and protected from public censure and abuse, overt or implied.

Today, Yugoslavia is a sad example of what happens to a nation when this respect and protection breaks down. NATHANIEL BACK ROANOKE

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