Religion in the Public Square

An Open Letter from God

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Religion in the Public Square

By Rev. Vince Milum

So far, Americans have only heard from the most intransigent voices on the right (many of whom like to say this is a Christian nation) and the left (many of whom believe that the right religion is no religion) on two spiritual topics of the day: (1) the posting of the Ten Commandments and (2) creationism v. evolution. I would like to chime in as one who serves as an ordained "facilitator" of dialogue for the Universal Light Institute. We believe that only by respecting each other and listening to each other will Unity be restored.

As someone who suffered through three miserable years at law school, I would like to share with you a scholarly secret: Nowhere in the Constitution is there to be found the wording, "separation of Church and State." What the first amendment does say is the following, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."

As to the Ten Commandments, instead of "posting" them, we should make them part of a rotating display of various world religious and philosophical statements. (As there are competing versions of the Big Ten, we should include all versions in our rotating displays.)

As to "mandating" that evolution be taught in our public schools, we are concerned with any governmental mandate in the sacred area of education. However, as enlightened beings we cannot help but recognize that evolution appears to have been part of the ongoing creative process. Thus, we would encourage that education in the science area include all evidence supporting this scientific consensus. For sake of balance, we believe that spiritual beliefs should also be part of the educational curriculum.

While this compromise will surely be unsettling to many, I believe you will find it "facilitates" the free exercise of religion without establishing any one religion.

Universal Light Institute