Freedom of worship

I had an epiphany of sorts and it comes after reading a few comments on a post of mine yesterday. Bear with me….

The post was about my constant concern about the gun freedoms that cause so much gun violence in the United States. I shared the post because it was the sad anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre shooting in Colorado yesterday. One commenter wrote about not having God in schools anymore, and how that was a part of the problem with our children and youth. He said he grew up reciting a Psalm along with the Pledge of Allegiance in school each morning. Another commenter wrote that we had ‘kicked’ God out of public school.

It got me thinking. I went to public school most of my growing up. I never read Psalms or any other Bible verses at anytime during the school day. I was schooled in midwestern Ohio, and not in the south. I went to Sunday School and church, and Wednesday Catechism classes and that’s where I learned about God, and the Bible. As an adult I participated in years of Bible Study classes. And, now after living in the south for many years, I know that some things are different. An example: Before living here I do not ever recall hearing at any public school events, especially games, a prayer over the loud speaker. But, it is a normal practice in the south.

As the comments on my post went on, and I responded, we obviously saw the founding of our country differently too. One commenter said we were founded as a judeo-Christian country. That was the intent. Therefore the 10 Commandments, Bible verses, etc. were fine in public schools.

I responded, because I have always believed, that our country was founded by men of European descent, yes, but our “freedom of religion’ was written into the Constitution because it was important to them for the new nation to allow citizens personal right to worship as they pleased. The founders did NOT write into the Constitution a “State Religion” like England had, and like many other countries had also done. In fact, having NO state religion was a big deal to the founders because they had left England for they did not agree with it.

So, yes, many of the pilgrims and those early voyagers who crossed the Atlantic to settle were indeed Christians. They may have been first to land here but they were not ‘more entitled’ and not ‘better’ in any way, especially when it came to the God they believed in, or how they worshiped. The founding fathers made a point to say that. ALL PEOPLE ARE EQUAL AND FREE TO WORSHIP in America!!

In time people from many lands immigrated here, and made us the ‘melting pot’ that I did learn about in school. I remember distinctly a history class with that very definition in it. A melting pot. A country where everyone was welcomed because we had a Constitution that opened the doors for freedoms (with responsibility) to vote, to buy property, to start businesses, to learn, to own guns, and to worship. Run by the people – for the people. ALL THE PEOPLE.

That is why now in America we have churches, temples, synagogues, traditional, modern, big, little, Christian, Jewish, non-denominational, Muslim, Christian Scientists, and on and on.

Here is my epiphany: There is a group of Christians in our country who think they have the right to decide for people of other religions, and those unchurched. This group thinks the U.S. is ‘their’ country more than it is other religions. They think God wants them to run this country. They think America was founded to be the “Christian land” like Israel is for the Jews. These descendants (because they are not new to living here) want to use power to rule, and they truly believe they are on a “God mission.” Hello MAGA.

So, if you get my thinking, this group has been taught and believed for a long time that God is only for Christians. Listen, I am proudly a Christian, and as the word says, I believe in Jesus Christ as the son of God. I believe that Jesus has shown us into God more than any person who ever walked this earth. Prophets have written much too. I believe in true divineness, along with our human limits of understanding. I believe in love for all, and God’s grace, and the goal for everyone to live in peace.

But I also believe that God decides. I believe that maybe God watches us too, and that nothing is written in stone. God is now. God is. I believe children who live in areas void of any chance to learn religion are still seen by God. Still loved. I believe that no country is a boundary for God.

It is why I dislike the US flag in a church sanctuary. It is why I cringe sometimes when I hear someone say “God bless America” – because God is not about which country is better than another. It is why I have had trouble going into church buildings since MAGA has taken control politically and nosed into religion.

So, my epiphany may be something you already knew. But, it is helping me ‘understand’ the situation we are in now. The rise of the Evangelical Conservatives, and their desire to control. Their belief that they are better perhaps. Know better. They feel the US is their ‘playing field’ and they need to win. Thoughts?