The local “Newspaper of Record” recently had a series on their op-ed page.. Every day people were asked to write an essay with “This I believe“ as it‘s theme:

Thank you to the local editor for deeming this essay unworthy.. It is perfect as my initial offering to the good folks at New Bedford 360.

I believe many things but this I believe first..

A fundamental tenet of this country was religious freedom.. I believe the Founding Fathers understood some practical realities about this great experiment in diversity we call America.. They knew people with differing faiths and cultures wouldn’t always share the same virtue and value systems, each unto themselves as it were.. What we now collectively understand as the “separation of church and state” emerged from that realization..

Through separation we diminished the power of religion in government.. At the time, the intent was to create a humane alternative to the Bloody Church of England and Papal Inquiries.. This practice would allow all men to practice religion as they saw fit.. This spirit of religious freedom was quite famously captured in a quip by Roger Williams:

“Coerced Religion stinks in God’s Nostrils”

Remarkable in its brevity, but this one sentence expresses the intent of the framers of our Constitution regarding religion ..

Believe what you want as long as it is never thrust upon me..

Here in America rarely do we think twice about anyones religious beliefs.. That is of course until they try to force them upon us.. Like most people, I suspect, I try to make every decision in life based on my value system, and personal moral compass, which includes the proper amount of input from “My God”..

Consequently whenever I hear a religious group lobbying government about their pet cause, be it, Abortion, Gay Rights, Airline Passenger Profiling, Religiously sensitive Taxis, or NSA Wiretappings, I try to remember that religion was meant to be freely believed in, but not really heard from when it comes to matters of national security and governmental policy..

We elect officials with the understanding & trust that they will steer the safest course for this country on all matters of international and domestic policy.. Our hope is that they legislate wisely and ethically, and at all times keep the safety and welfare of the people foremost in their minds.. In that regard they are not unlike the pilots of a High Occupancy Vehicle..

I guess ultimately when it comes to religious beliefs in the high occupancy vehicle of life or government..

This I believe----

That it’s best to let God be a passenger towards the rear of the vehicle; there to be called upon as an aide to the navigator, but never EVER alone at the helm..

Bob Grant