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

DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 27, 1993                   TAG: 9301270318
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

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HOLIDAY DEBATE WASTING TIME, ENERGY

IT SADDENS me to witness what is happening in Montgomery County. What kind of an example are parents setting for their children when they expend so much time and energy on what to label a school break?

The issue is not to "eradicate" the influence of Christ, as the Christian Coalition groups would have one believe, but to be sensitive to the fact that not all people share the same religious beliefs. Granted, the United States has a Christian majority, but it is not, as some have indicated, "a Christian nation." This nation is and has always been comprised of a variety of religious beliefs.

Why not focus on enriching children's education and teaching them to respect every person's religion or culture? After all, a mind is like a parachute: It doesn't function unless it's open. SHERRY DAVIDSON ROANOKE

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