Letter to the Editor:

In his guest editorial of April 16, Rep. Lance Horbach made plain his dissatisfaction with the current Iowa Code and seemed to advocate a government based not on Constitutional law, but on the tenets expressed literally in the Bible. What a refreshing vision!

Bible Law may be simple, but implementing it may require some adjusting. Homosexuality is the easy part. Leviticus 18:22 calls it an abomination, period. What shall we do with the gays? Gas them? Deport them? Or just put them back in the closet? Ah, yes, much cleaner. At least there’ll be no more of this talk about equality for all citizens.

Some of the other verses in that same Bible, however, may reach deeper into the population:

Daughters can once again be sold as slaves (Exodus 21:7). Slaves of both sexes will be legal in Iowa providing they are bought from neighboring nations (Lev. 25:44).

Those who work on the Sabbath must be put to death (Exodus 35:2).

Eating shellfish will be out; it, too, is an abomination (Lev. 11:10).

No more haircuts for men (Lev. 19:27).

Football will be out: touching the skin of a dead pig makes us unclean (Lev. 11:6-8).

Wear glasses? Don’t think about approaching the altar of God (Lev. 21-20).

And if you curse, look out! The whole town is obliged to stone you (Lev. 24:10-16).

We will need no-nonsense people of faith like Rep. Horbach to help Iowa make the transition to Bible Law. I myself am fed up with Cafeteria Christians, who put on their tray only those Bible verses that are convenient.

Until Iowa is as solid a theocracy as Iran, Rep. Horbach will probably need to honor his current oath of officethe one where he put his hand on the Bible and swore to uphold the Constitution, instead of the other way around.

Dr. John Lewers

New York, New York