This letter is in response to the letter from MaryLee Scott published Oct. 20 (“Stay home if you’re afraid of virus”).

Yes, MaryLee, you do have the freedom to not wear a mask. That freedom is guaranteed by the Constitution. The Constitution is a valuable document to those of us who are Americans. But the Constitution does not require us to give food to the hungry or shelter for the homeless. There is no amendment that forces us to listen to science or consider the needs of the medically vulnerable or attend to the elderly. We should appreciate and protect those rights.

But fixating on those rights at the expense of love, compassion and mercy is wrong. It is especially wrong if one is a person of faith. 

Faith is more of an essential service than a lot of things right now, perhaps even more important than the claim of religious freedom or the freedoms guaranteed by the constitution.

Rights at the expense of responsibility is wrong.

— Roger Hull

China Grove