In God We Trust

Our currency has the motto, "In God we trust" ,  engraved on all paper and coin currency.  The pledge of allegiance to the U. S. Flag has the words "under God" in the declaration.  The Declaration of Independence declares that we are endowed by our Creator.

Most Americans accept these phrases as an integral part of the fiber of our country.  Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Native American Religions, recognize there is a being greater than all of us.  Our bill of rights guarantees that we have the right to worship.  Some view that his only refers to the Christian religion and not any others.  While many view this as freedom of religion, others view this as freedom from religion.  e 

So which God if any do we choose?  Does the Government (Federal, State, or local) have the right to chose one religious group over another?  Members of the North Carolina State Legislature introduced a bill that would establish a state religion.  This is such a scary bill.  Our country was established by individuals who fled Europe due to the religious persecution they experienced.  Yet when they formed colonies, they became persecutors based on their religion.   Native Americans were considered heathens and were forced to submit to Christianity often by the sword or other means.  The Puritans often tortured Quakers, Catholics, Baptists, etc who entered the Bay Colony.

Seems as though we have forgotten the significance of the basic bill of rights when it guarantees that I have the right to worship or not worship.  This means there is no law demanding that I belong to this church or that mosque.  Yet, there are those who wish to force me by a bill to establish a state religion.  There are those who ostracize me and seek to convert me if I belong to a different group than they do.  These individuals think they understand God and know the right interpretation of Sacred Writings so they seek to make laws based on these Sacred Writings.  In Muslim Governments this may mean that women may be treated as property and subjected to abuse.  In the United States, Christian groups seek to make laws that favor their views or interpretations of the Bible.

The big question is:  Which Christian group has the right to do so?  Do Catholics have the sole right to dictate the laws of our nation?  Do Baptists have the right?  How about Methodists, Presbyterians, and Episcopalians?  Do those who claim a "Literal interpretation" vs those who do not have the right? Which Muslim group has the right?  Which Jewish sect has the right?

No one group has the right to dictate who I worship, when I worship, where I worship, and how I worship.  The same way no one group has a right to dictate that all Americans believe a certain, live a certain way, or practice icons and traditions.  Some groups believe they have the right to do so though and they seek to make laws that reflect their views and beliefs.

We are a spiritual nation for sure.  The majority of us believe in rights and wrongs and the existence of a Higher Power.  Our laws reflect our spirituality in many ways, for we are given basic rights by our Creator to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  This pursuit often leads to conflicts in religious beliefs and practices sometimes even in members of the same religious sect.  Who has the right to determine the course of action?

This is where the Spirituality comes into play.  There is a universal desire for justice, liberty, and mercy.  There is a universal desire to be loved and to love.  There is a universal desire to be accepted and to accept.  Jesus summed it up like this, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."  If we desire and thirst for justice, then we must be just or fair in our treatment of others.  If we want liberty, we must allow others to live, act, and believe differently than us. If we want mercy, then we must be merciful.

Do I sound like a liberal?  Some would say so, but I am not.  I am rather conservative in my views and practices, yet I have learned a valuable lesson:  listening.  As I listen, I also learn.  When I learn, I grow to understand, accept, and love.  As I grow in understanding, acceptance, and love, I become just.  This does not mean I accept anything and everything for I do not.  What it means is I allow others to be different than me and I learn how to appreciate who they are.

Yes, I am a Christian and I seek to live as Christ taught us to live.  May we all learn more about ourselves and each other!