Thinking about religion

In yesterday's Wall Street Journal there was a letter in which the author said "America is a very religious country and primarily a Christian one". While I am not affiliated with any organized religion I do not care that other people choose to do so. That is their personal choice. What I am bothered by is that statements like the one above imply that because many people are Christians, gives them the right to assume that everybody agrees with them and if someone does not agree with them, they should. This creates an intrinsic conflict and a mindset that skews all thought. It also places anybody who does not conform to this religious mindset in a position where they need to constantly consider the Christian view of everything to get things done and to not unduly offend those around them.

The founders of this great country very deliberately created a constitution that separated church and state for a very good reason. They had suffered under the rule of governments driven and directed by religious ideology instead of rational thought. This current wave of religious fervor that is constantly intruding into the daily running of our country is both troubling and very dangerous. The country must be run based on facts, rationale thought and the principles of fairness and equality, not preference for those that are part of the faith. Remember the Spanish inquisition, it was driven by irrational and blind belief, not driven by rational values that would improve the life of the citizens.