I wish they could hear me on that blasted TV!

Lately I've been hearing all kinds of hullabaloo about the cross in the desert. Insert talk about separation of church and state. Just today I was driving around and on the radio I hear a blurb about federal lawsuits that have been brought by atheists regarding the wording of the presidential oath of office. You guessed it, they are howling over the inclusion of the words, "So help me God." So often when I hear any kind of discussion about the separation of church and state, the argument is given that we can't have any religion at all. Because, wait for it, who would decide which religion we'd all have to use? There are just too many religions out there, so we can't have anything at all so the argument goes.

As usual, my brain has been spinning, and I've come up with a few thoughts. The people who ask what they think is THE killer question (that supposedly leaves all religious adherents scratching their heads with no possible answer) obviously don't know much about the religions of the world. Sure, they know the differences... Christians worship God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit as the triune God. Muslims worship Allah. Buddhists mediate... a LOT! Atheists supposedly abhor worship of anything that presents itself as higher than them. Hindus worship EVERYTHING! Sounds pretty conflicting on the surface, I'll grant you. Even in the realm of Christianity there are vast differences, some more trivial, some striking at the very essence of what is within the very bounds of Christianity. So are the religious nay-sayers right? Is it impossible to make a call as to who determines which religion America allows?

I say abso-stinkin'-lutely NOT! What I believe is sorely missing from this discussion is the fact that while there are indeed major differences in all the various religions, there is also much common ground between them. All the religions I've listed above all place great value on men and women living lives of honesty and integrity. Kindness is a virtue in them all. Respect for others is valued. It's not okay to destroy another's property. Selfishness is bad. Sexual promiscuity is looked down upon... or worse. There are many, many areas of common ground. How about focusing on the areas or commonality? After all our nation managed to do that very thing for nearly two hundred years until one woman (a CRAZY woman at that!) pitched her hissy fit in our Supreme Court and drastically changed the complexion of public education for the whole nation.

I only wish we could get to the heart of this issue. It seems that what the (very) vocal minority is actually advocating is not merely an irreligious America, but an amoral United States. They just don't want any religion in which THEY are not the ultimate authority; God, if you will.

So what do you think? I for one am getting pretty tired of talking to and questioning the people I see saying these things on TV. They never answer back! (chuckle) But here in The World According to Me, I can get some answers perhaps? I think I just might be liking this world! So tell me: Is there not enough common ground among religions to focus on? Must each and every vestige of religion of any and all kinds be erased from our culture?