I again oppose the inaccuracy and tone of several letters from last week’s Times.

One letter said our country enjoyed “the greatest era of prosperity, unity and achievement” prior to Kennedy and the Democrats ruining things.

In reality, we had an ugly race problem during those years. I doubt blacks experienced prosperity, unity or achievement since they could not use a public water fountain or bathroom, go to a theater, eat in a restaurant, go to school, ride a bus, or buy a house unless it was in an area designated “for negroes.”

Blacks were being lynched and beaten and churches were bombed. Is our country, before Civil Rights, really the kind of country to which we should aspire in order to “make America great again?”

The letter also claimed Christians are now “forced to worship in secret.” This is plainly untrue! People openly worship regularly at Christian churches all over the country and services are even plentiful on the airwaves. Religious freedom is very evident for American Christians but not for American citizens who follow Islam, as mosques are vandalized and Muslims harassed.

The writer says “Americans can only be strong if we rediscover ‘American values.’” Just what are American values? Our Constitution mandates freedom of religion; “no religious test” for the Presidency; and equal treatment under the law regardless of race or creed. If we require immigrants to have Christian beliefs before they are fully accepted in this country; that is wrong and not very different from ISIS, which says “convert or die.”

Christian values call very explicitly for loving our neighbors as ourselves; even our enemies. Perhaps we need to practice these values by toning down our inaccurate, inflammatory, hateful, fear-filled rhetoric which harms our country and benefits terrorists.