But then how is it that I know Jewish people here in Florida?

What am I to do with my Methodist mother?

What about all my many heathen cousins?

Do they all have to leave me because you have declared the South a Baptist enclave? What kind of national unity would that involve?

As an alternative proposal, perhaps we could let anybody believe whatever they chose and not enforce it by law. They don’t have to agree with me and thee even though we are right. We don’t have to agree with them even though they are wrong.

David for letting freedom ring
even if it’s only the end of class bell on Friday

If the Utah or New York legislative assemblies passed laws to allow Mormon or Jewish prayers to be given in schools because those faiths are in the majority locally or regionally, respectively, and your son or daughter were going to attend those schools because you had been hired in the area, you would be okay with your child having to hear (daily) Mormon- or Jewish-derived prayers that deny or conflict with your deeply held beliefs that are theologically Baptist? And you would be okay with it because others moving to the southern US would have to accept similar conflicts in their faith heritage and beliefs because the Baptist theology of the Christian faith is locally in the majority?

When we talk about liberty, each person should have just as much right to exercise the faith of their choosing… Without having a local majority direct belief in the public arena. Otherwise, that is not liberty.

America was not founded as a Christian nation. Instead, it offered religious freedom, and many who immigrated to the colonies and young nation simply wanted a free area to exercise that in worship.

You might want to take a look at a letter written by George Washington to the Tuoro Synagogue in Newport, RI to get a feel for the early leadership’s view of this position on the issue of different faiths and individual freedoms related to personal faith in the fledgling years of our nation. When I read President Washington’s letter, I pick up a sense of welcome, respect, and most of all the gift of religious liberty to actually worship (in Jefferson’s words) “nature’s God.”

Actually, it wasn’t.

For example, Virginia was founded by people looking for gold to get rich. They discovered they could get rich selling poisonous tobacco and were happy.

The Pilgrims wanted the freedom to practice only their own form of religion but couldn’t stand the Quakers having another form of Christianity.It made them unhappy.

The colony in what is now New York was founded to make money on the fur trade.

Georgia was founded as a place to get rid of convicts.

Most of those who came here willingly did so for freedom and profit. Those who came here unwillingly weren‘t asked. The children weren’t bound by the beliefs of the parents.

When they decided to form a federal government after gaining independence, many of the founders were not Christians under most definitions of the word. They were very careful to avoid establishing a national religion and dogma.

AND:
“there should be a slice for the Muslim, a slice for the Hindu, one for the Jew and one for the Christian ect. Think of nuts and bolts, washers ect., if you keep them grouped properly everything is orderly, when you throw them all into one container, you have disorder. There should be a place for everything.”

I disagree with the idea of segregating the nation based on religion and the idea that minorities should be pushed out by majorities. That would be taking away rights and leading to constant conflict and harm to national unity. (Imagine forcing Steve Jobs to stay in the Buddhist section for example.)

David for accurate history and personal freedom