Is God in the Constitution?

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." This is the beginning of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America.

Our founders set up a system of laws in our Constitution that has been the basis of our republic for its entire history. In these laws, this is really the only reference to religion I have found. If you know of another, please educate me.

However, God was very visible and present in the Declaration of Independence when it said, "...among the Powers of the Earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them..." and "...all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights..." So our founders obviously believed in God. They wanted those Judeo Christian precepts of peace, understanding, justice, and tolerance to be the basis of the new country.

So why one and not the other? In my opinion, the Constitution, being a set of laws, was deliberately written this way. The early settlers to this land came, in part, seeking religious freedom. They wanted to worship God in their own ways after their own belief systems. Knowing this right been denied this right in their ancestors, our founders did not want to see it denied to others. Their goal in terms of religion was to have an Eden where all people could worship God in the ways of their own choosing, or also have the right to not worship if that was the choice. To make laws that then told the constituents how to worship was distasteful to them. It flew in the face of their hopes of our country never becoming an oppressive theocracy.

Over the years, we have been that beautiful oasis where the oppressed could find shelter and a home. Yes, we have had some bumps in the road toward that oasis, but it is still the beacon of religious freedom for many who come here. In every city and town we have churches, synogogues, mosques, and temples. We have woods and oceans for the ones who find God in those places. Each soul is free to pursue their own religious expression.

It was worth fighting a raging sea for in 1492. It was worth fighting for in 1776. It is worth fighting for now--figuratively and literally. I read some statements from some of the Islamic extremists that want to see this country under Sharia law, and they are trying to make that happen.

I don't think it ever can, but we must be vigilant to protect this precious freedom that so many others envy and which so many others want to destroy. Parents must educate their children that this is one of our most valuable freedoms and we must cherish it. We must let our legislators and judges know how valuable it is to us.

We must pass this freedom on to the next generation.

God Bless Our America.