I am not sure whether Jon Gabriel needs help, has some mental fatigue from watching too much Fox News or is depressed by the election. In his editorial he seems unable to distinguish the differences between the secular and the religious and feels that Americans are confusing the two. His lofty generalization e.g "Secularism has taken over the nation..." seem grounded in this confusion. We live is a secular state. Secularism is not a religion. What you believe in, God, Allah, Nature, The Universe whatever high power, is up to you. That's why the Founding Father wrote the Constitution the way they did. We have laws. We pass the laws in Congress. It's called government. Church and State are separate.

Because church attendance has gone down doesn't mean people are not religious or that moral standards have been abandoned. Quite the opposite in fact. Americans do not seek spiritual fulfilment in politics. 140 million people voted in the election because they care about democracy and who represents them in Congress. This is responsibility. That we have a Republican party muddying the waters with weird conspiracies theories, hypothetical conjecture and silly lawsuits means that The Republican Party in their desire to retain power have pursued the populist dreams. As Gabriel rightly points out "Some have spent their lockdown immersing themselves in bizarre conspiracy theories." That some of our population are ill-versed in critical thinking skills doesn't mean we should all turn our backs on the political process, a process which actually worked quite well.

Gabriel suggests that secularism "leaves people unmoored from tradition, humility and grace." Why should humility, grace, and tradition be confined to religion? Trump showed few signs of either grace or humility which may have been a factor in 7 million more people voting for Biden. I can understand Gabriel wanting to seek solace in his religion but both The Bible and the Koran recommend the stoning of adulterers and homosexuals and the cutting off of the hands of thieves, hardly exercises in grace or humility. If you want to see an "amoral charlatan" who uses "fear and false promises to gain earthly power" look no further than the President. We are all surely hoping that the President-elect does not come from the same stable.

By the time I reached Jon's umpteenth generalization, "Democrats are accosting diners at sidewalk cafes." and "Instead of resting on the Sabbath we waste our weekends cursing strangers on social media" I thought, "Well that is your opinion" magnified, of course, by being published. My opinion is that the election was a great success. Good sense prevailed. Democracy won. Trumpism was exposed for the thin, populist, political gruel it is. Common sense and hope won over lies, distortions, and meanness. As Jon turns towards his religion for consolation he might remember that Christ stands up for the downtrodden and the weak, and was crucified between two thieves. His death was a political act by the State's secular and religious authorities and that his last words on the cross were "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" and God knows we could all do with a large dose of forgiveness.