Well Informed #3- Religion 3.0

When the U.S. Constitution was being written in the 1700's, the Founding Fathers sought to declare what would be some of the most important building blocks for which America would be able to stand on throughout time. These fundamental truths would be what separated the United States from many countries, if not all, around the world. America would be looked at as the promised land, so to speak. Right now in our country, several of these fundamental building blocks are being challenged by members of society and government officials. Among those, religion seems to be the topic everyone has some sort of opinion on.

According to the First Amendment, it states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." This means that citizens of this country are guaranteed the right to worship whatever they wish and they shall not be persecuted because of it. If one wishes to practice religions such as Buddhism and Judaism, they are entitled to do so. This simple idea of worshiping one's God(s) is the very reason why America exists today. The Pilgrims sought to settle in this land after they left their homes due to religious persecution. They wanted a land that would promise them religious freedom.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/first_amendment

In today's society, there has been a massive separation between church and state. Separation of church and state means that the government does not recognize or favor any particular religion/faith over another. If this country was founded on the principle of religious freedom, one religion should not be favored or disfavored any more than the rest of the religions. The idea of separation of church and state does have its gray areas. According to Dictionary.com, it states that the Supreme Court has banded prayers from being said in schools but has displayed Christian Nativity scenes on government grounds. The topic in my mind seems to be nothing close to black and white when it comes to the idea of separation of church and state. 

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/separation-of-church-and-state

Religion to me, no matter the faith one practices, teaches correct principles. It strives to help individuals become kind and loving. It teaches people to strive for what is good in life: to simply be a good person that treats others with love and respect. You have faiths that preach the gathering of saints in church buildings on designated days. There are faiths where individuals practice their beliefs to themselves. No matter the style that is practiced, good principles are being taught and followed. 

I am a very religious person. I was raised in a LDS household and was taught simple principles such as treating others with respect and love. As I have grown older, I made the conscious decision that religion to me was something that made me a better person. When I chose for myself that I wanted to live my life within the LDS lifestyle, it filled a whole in my soul. I served a two year mission in London, England. Since London is the melting pot of the world, I came to to meet wonderful people from all different backgrounds. I spent many hours talking and getting know people within various religions like the Muslim faith. The Anglican faith is the national religion for England in which many citizens associated themselves with. These two religions are just two of many that I came to understand while living among those people. Due to this experience, I have come to appreciate, understand, and love people from different backgrounds with different religious practices. In my mind, I felt that if I wanted to share what I believed in with others, I needed to be willing to listen to what others believed. I am amazed by the amount of similarities various religions have throughout the world. 

Today's society has taught individuals to become offended if something around them is different from what they are accustomed to. If people choose to not believe in a God and or follow any certain denomination that is entirely their choice. I understand and accept the theology of those individuals. If I strive to do that for others, I should have the ability and right to worship in the way that my faith teaches me to do so. People should not be offended when others strive to live by what their religion teaches them. America is a religious free country and should remain that way. Things like removing the phrase "One nation, under God" from our Pledge of Allegiance takes away from what our Constitution teaches us. 

Religion gathers people. Religion teaches individuals good principles. Religion is a constitutional right.