August 3, 2016
6:45 p.m.

I'm so bad. It's been half a month since my last post, and that was a sad post. I need to up my game, or something.

I barey recognize myself lately. Suddenly I am following politics and researching candidates. Suddenly I am investigating the sources of many political posts on Facebook instead of just scrolling past them as fast as I can. Suddenly I am very interested in the history of this country.

For example, I keep seeing posts claiming that this country was founded on Christianity. But it's not the whole truth.

This country was based on a Secular foundation that supports Freedom of Religious expression.

The Pilgrims came to the New World where they would be free to practise their religion. Those Puritans originally wrote colonial constitutions regarding a religious government, which would establish one true church as the country's religion.

The Founding Fathers changed all that when they penned the Federal Constitution, forever separating Church and State. They specified that the US government would not interfere with the People's right to practise--or not--their preferred religions.

Other Pilgrims arrived, after being persecuted. The Latter Day Saints emigrated due to the promise that they would be free to worship as they saw fit. So did the many Jewish people who fled persecution. People have come from all over the world to experience the freedom we have to worship as we please, or to worship not at all. To this day, there are colonies of Amish and Mennonite who are free to live among the other people of the US without fear that those others will force their beliefs upon them. So far, no government agency has forced them to buy cars and install electric lights. Conversely, no member of these societies has tried to force their neighbors to live as they do.

The United States is not a Christian Nation, it is a secular Nation that does not interfere with its citizens' religions.

I guess I'm just ranting about this because I'm tired of all the posts I see that have clearly been passed on by people who didn't bother to question whether it was the truth or not.

It reminds me of all the times the death of Jackie Chan has been reported, while he is alive and well.
At some point in the future--hopefully very far in the future--when he really passes on, I won't believe it.

Anyway, if you're still under the impression that this country was founded on Christianity, I suggest you read the Constitution. It was written the way it was for the express purpose of not establishing a single religion as THE religion, because of the past examples of religious politics in the old country.

Ugh, what has happened to me? I'm supposed to be happy and carefree and not care about this stuff.

I think tomorrow I will think about something else. For now, I'm going to take the dogs out and call it a day.

Cheers!