Faith events overlap, support housing project, education freedom, face climate change | Letters

Faith events overlap

While the date for Easter varies from year to year, this year’s big events and holidays from both the Jewish and Christian faiths overlap. Lent, Passover, Good Friday and Easter are all occurring around the same time.

As I sit here in my comfortable home, in a free country, I can’t help but thank God for his many blessings and his words passed down through the ages.

This Easter, many will be in church, and many won’t. Does it matter?

I will leave that to the individual to decide, but when we did something our parents didn’t approve of, there was never a question of their love. I believe Jesus feels that way too.

His teachings are easy to understand, but not so easy to follow. I’m no biblical scholar, but this is what Jesus says to me: Believe in me, and you shall have everlasting life. Love your neighbor as yourself. Give to those in need. Do the right thing.

Peace and shalom.

CHARLIE LYBRAND

Hollywood

Support housing project

As a faith-based community partner who volunteers with Holy City Missions, I write in strong support of Charleston Mayor William Cogswell’s proposed rapid shelter project to address homelessness in Charleston. Our shared moral and spiritual traditions compel us to care for the most vulnerable among us — to see the humanity in every person, and to act when we see suffering.

The rapid shelter project model is not just a practical response; it is a compassionate one. It offers immediate, safe and dignified shelter paired with the wraparound services people need to move forward in life, from mental health support to housing assistance and job readiness. It respects the inherent worth of our unhoused neighbors while also helping restore stability and hope.

As people of faith, we are called not only to prayer but to action. Mayor Cogswell’s plan is a bold step in the right direction, and we must rally behind it. Our community can no longer afford to allow individuals and families to live in tents or on park benches. We can and must do better.

Charleston has the opportunity to lead and to show that we are a city that not only values justice and compassion but also puts those values into practice. Support the rapid shelter project.

JUDITH PFAEHLER

North Charleston

Education freedom

As a father and chairman of the Horry County chapter of Moms for Liberty, I’ve spent years fighting to give parents a real voice in education.

Whether it’s removing inappropriate content, pushing for transparency or advocating for better school policies, one thing is clear: Families — not bureaucrats — should decide what’s best for their kids.

That’s why I support the proposed Educational Choice for Children Act. This bill lets individuals and businesses receive federal tax credits when they donate to scholarship programs. Those scholarships help parents send their kids to the school that best fits their needs — whether public, private, religious, homeschool or trade.

It’s about freedom, not federal control. The Educational Choice for Children Act empowers families without creating new mandates or growing government. Here in South Carolina, we’ve taken steps toward school choice, but demand still outpaces supply. This bill would help meet that need and ensure more kids can thrive.

Polling shows overwhelming support: 74% of voters support school choice, and 81% say parents, not the government, should make educational decisions.

U.S. Sen. Tim Scott has been a strong advocate for education freedom and is a co-sponsor of this bill. Now, we need him to fight for its inclusion in this year’s budget reconciliation.

Our kids get only one chance at a great education. Let’s make sure parents are the ones in the driver’s seat.

DAVID WARNER

Conway

Face climate change

As a resident of the Charleston area for more than two decades, I’ve seen firsthand how climate change and unchecked development have reshaped our coastline — and not for the better.

Rising seas, stronger storms and disruptions to the coastal ecosystem are no longer distant threats; they’re here, and they’re affecting our homes, waterways and fisheries.

The Post and Courier has rightly drawn attention to how recent and proposed cuts to NOAA could further erode South Carolina’s ability to respond to these growing challenges. Yet Project 2025 and President Donald Trump appear more focused on dismantling critical environmental protections than preparing our communities for the future.

It’s time for our leaders — U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace and Sens. Tim Scott and Lindsey Graham — to confront the realities of climate change. Will they continue to dodge the issue, or will they finally help South Carolina face this crisis head-on?

HEATHER BONEPARTH

Johns Island

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