Dwain Northey (Gen X)

The world’s faithful account for 83% of the global population; the great majority of these fall under twelve classical religions–Baha’i, Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Shinto, Sikhism, Taoism, and Zoroastrianism.

Amendment I of the United States Constitution.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The First Amendment is freedom of or from religion and it does not say what that religion is. I hear all the time that American is a Christian nation, but I do not read that anywhere in our founding documents. The misinterpretation of what many of the founders inscribed in the documents that founded our national is that many of them were not Christians but were Deists, and I am well aware that many don’t know what that means.

Deist believes in a higher power/supreme being. – Belief in an afterlife. – Rejects revelations as a source of religious evidence. – Oriented toward scientific fact and natural observation, rather than scripture.  

Some of these tenants fall inside Christianity but also are in other faiths. Although the founders i.e. Jefferson, Frankin, Washington and others were Deist they did not espouse that as a citizen of the United States had to believe in anything.

Today many want to create a secular country where Christianity is practiced above all others… the Catholic Church tried this in the Dark Ages and we all know how that turned out.

I suggest that instead of espousing a religion we just try and exercise kindness and try not to be ass holes, one rule that seems to hold true in all faiths is ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’ It’s the international don’t be an Ass Hole rule, lets all do that.