"One Nation, Under God..." Wait! Whose God is It Anyways?!

There are people out there whom would like to have us believe that the United States was founded as a Christian Nation. It wasn't. John Adams was quoted as saying, "The Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion." In 1813, Thomas Jefferson said, "History, I believe, furnishes no example of a priest-ridden people maintaining a free civil government. There are other notable quotables, but I find no reason to make this blog entry nothing short of a bunch of quotes.

There are people out there knocking on doors of all faiths, trying to spread "the word" and asking others to see things as they see them. For some, the idea may be tantalizing; for others, not so much. Every few weeks there are Jehova's Witnesses that stand on my doorstep asking for me by name. Every few weeks, I stand out there and talk to them. Why, you ask? Because my mother raised me better than to slam the door in someone's face because their faith is different from my own. Make no mistake, they know well my stance on religion. They don't cross that line, but we have a pleasant conversation for a few minutes and they ask me what I think about certain passages. They get an honest opinion. There are no terse words or lashing out with verbal swords; only good general conversation.

There are some real extremists out there who seem to think that Christianity is the only way and while they are going to their own "heaven," those of us of different faith should come out of the dark and into the light to receive Jesus Christ into our hearts. These are the same people that are out there trying to push an initiative called DC-40. They would want everyone to be just like them, a Christian nation. Unfortunately for them, there has been, and, in my opinion, will always be, a war among the Christian faiths. All Christian faiths verbally bash each other. One religion berates another to give the appearance of being the better and "correct" Christian faith. There are so many different versions of the Bible out there that it's dizzying. The Catholic Bible has seven extra books in it, called the Apocrypha. Apparently, the other Christian religions didn't necessarily care for them, so their versions of the Bible don't include them. And, what about the King James version. "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live." Well, King James had that phrase added due to a personal fear. Umm, hello? Really? Yes, really. In the news recently, you may have read about the evangelical pastor, Rev. Jeffress, who is urging people to vote for Christians, not Mormons. Last time I checked, Mormons were Christian. And so the bashing, and lashing out, continues.

Of course, one would think that all of the bickering among the Christians to claim the "top spot" in the Kingdom of Heaven as the "almighty religion" would cause people to ignore them, right? WRONG! Like I said, there is a movement out there, an initiative, called the DC-40. They would have everyone pray ONE WAY, believe ONE WAY, and be ONE WAY. Are they aware of the 1st Amendment right that guarantees Americans the FREEDOM of Religion? Sure. They're aware. But hey, for them, you can be whichever faith you like, so long as it's Christian. These people won't go away. They are everywhere. They vote. They go out and talk to other people garnering support. They lobby for support. And just because you close you're eyes, they're not disappearing. This isn't a kid's game where you can close your eyes and believe that if you can't see it, it doesn't exist.

So, what does one do? A few months ago, a project was started by Pagans, called Hail Columbia, to remind America that our country was built on religious freedom. Their mission is to distribute information and coordinate events throughout the US to re-affirm our First Amendment rights for ALL PEOPLE. This isn't about looking out for Pagans, it's about looking out for the rights of all faiths, and doing what's right. I joined as a co-ordinator for the State of Delaware. I am happy to be a part of this group. While the project may be young, I see great things happening and greater awareness forming. On October 30, from noon until 5pm, there will be a ritual in Lafayette Square Park, Washington, D.C. to Celebrate the Divine Feminine and Religious Freedom as a protest to the DC-40 movement. While there are those of us who may not be able to attend, we can still join them through Spirit. Although I will not be in attendance, you can bet I will be invoking the Goddess during that time to assist in the efforts.

So, "One Nation, Under God..." Whose God? Whichever God, Goddess, or Divine Spirit makes the most sense for YOU, regardless of anyone else. The way I look at it, the use of the word "God" in this sense is like being pregnant going for an ultra-sound (or whatever else). The tech generally uses the word "he" just because.