Finding God In America

As much as sometimes it doesn’t seem to be that way, America is one of the most religious countries in the world. Our robust culture which is as often very secular might give the wrong impression. Because at the heart of what makes the American people tick is their deep religious feelings and devotion to God and their places of worship.

That very diversity in the culture of this great country is really what gives it its strength. Religious belief in America is phenomenally well adapted to diversity around it. And yet it thrives. It fact it is not out of the question to say that the diversity that is the hallmark of American culture is what makes religious belief in this country so robust and able to endure decade after decade.

It is impossible to separate issues of religious devotion from the fabric of the nation because the very reason the country was founded in the first place was in part to create a society in which religious faith was free to hold and where it was illegal for the government in any way shape or form to step in and stop one from holding their religious beliefs and having a full and rich religious life.

As such our cherished freedom of religion, which in truth is one of the founding pillars of this great country, is not to be redefined as freedom from religion. Now its true if we look back to what our ancestors were escaping, they were indeed seeking a place where a state religion would not force all to believe as the government dictated they would believe and that each individual had the God given right to seek out God in the way that he felt was his calling to do so. So in that way, and that way only, the founding principle is a form of freedom from religion in that we as Americans have been freed forever from a government imposed religious belief.

A better way to modernize the concept of freedom of religion so it fits with out twenty first century viewpoints is as follows. As Americans we are free to be as religious as we wish to be without fear of any official governmental body attempting to intervene. And it is illegal at the constitutional level for the government to ever attempt to take that freedom from us. By the same token, as Americans we are free to not be religious and to do that with as much zeal and enthusiasm as we wish, again, with no fear of the government or law enforcement agencies being allowed to ever step in and take away that freedom.

But even my attempt to summarize this magnificent part of our heritage as Americans still falls shorts. Beyond the cherished value that runs throughout our society that our religious freedoms will never be taken from us, the government is further required to protect our religious freedoms from being taken from us. As such, if an outside government, army or invading enemy ever came to our shores with the intent of taking away this treasured freedom from us, our government is empowered, moreover, required to use all force necessary to push back that enemy so this precious freedom cannot be deprived of the citizens of America.

It makes one humble to review this amazing element of what it means to be an American and become grateful in even a deeper way to see the wisdom that our founding fathers had in guarantying that we would never have this part of our lives, a part that to most of us is as dear and precious as the breath we breath, ever tampered with or robbed of us.