To those who read,
The need for watchfulness is the most important virtue of our generation. We live in a world that is continuing to evolve and present challenges increasing in difficulty and complexity. Every issue that we face whether it be the War on Terror, the Economy, or moral issues like abortion, our leaders are held hostage by individuals who actually live out their lives according to their religion. So here it is - like it or not, our world is governed by religion. Unfortunately, when the word "religion" is used, the connotation derived from it is usually a form of spirituality like Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, etc... The dedicated critics of the followers of such spiritualities speak as though there is a veil covering their face, rendering themselves blind because they are unable to see that they themselves are equally as religious - maybe even more fundamentalist than those they seek to tear down. Whether it be a politician who holds the laws of the land as "scripture" or an atheist who believes his or her own ideas are dogmatic, everyone is held hostage to their beliefs; or their religion.
The United States, a society so advanced and progressive, still wrestles with this idea of religion, hoping in some way that creating a separation between the two sectors will help evade many of the issues that may arise when religious minds clash. The writers of our constitution and our forefathers were products of this religious clash and realized the importance to formulate a doctrine in order to protect the state from the religious. However, they were unable to see that by formulating language to protect the state from religious conflict, they were creating a new religion and a new philosophy. One example from the GOP website, one of the reason to be a republican, "I believe that America is still the "shining city on a hill", and represents the dreams and aspirations of current and future generations of American citizens." This reference to a "shining city on a hill" refers to the Sermon on the Mount taken from the Gospel according to Matthew where Jesus encourages his would-be followers to be a light to the world. The sermon took place outside of the city and Jesus speaking from elevation shows that his teaching should not be interpreted according to the world, but they reach far and above the standards of this world, and as disciples, they should have this same mindset. So now, the Republicans, want to create a new order and a new perspective, and to stress my point, a new religion. It is not only a political party, but all political parties seek to do this.
Instead of avoiding religion, we need to embrace the plurality that exists within our world. This requires of us a total change of perspective, philosophy, and ideology. How can we fight the War on Terror unless we understand the root cause of the militancy? Yearning to understand and accepting the need for education is the only way to embrace these differences. How can we fight any enemy unless we understand their basic understanding and worldview - in the case of the War on Terror- their worldview is governed by a set of religious principles. If I asked you, in ten words, to describe Islam, I can assume that most of you would not be able to without setting off WW#. All language and correspondence by a government should be articulated within a sphere of understanding, because the end goal should always be peace.
Vigilance is the key to ultimate victory.
