The first amendment to the constitution of the United States of America reads as follows: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

I think that makes it rather clear. The United States is not a Christian nation. Neither is it a nation devoted to Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu or any other faith. The United States of America is a secular nation. It is a republic and it is our duty as citizens of that republic to honor the laws of that nation. If we choose to practice civil disobedience, then we must be ready to pay the consequences of those actions. According to the first amendment, we have the right to protest through peaceable assembly and to seek redress of grievances in the courts.

People of the Muslim faith have recently proposed the building of a "YMCA-type" mosque in Manhattan. The site happens to be a few blocks away from Ground Zero. The center is to be built by moderate Muslims, not those of the radical brand that destroyed the World Trade Center. There is a huge movement afoot by the religious and political "right" to take away the right of Muslims to practice their faith, which is guaranteed by the first amendment. This is the case wherever Muslims try to build a mosque, not just in Manhattan.

I can immediately hear the response. "We as Christians are not allowed to pray in the public schools." That is just not true. How can anyone prevent you from praying wherever you like? One of the problems with the religious right is that they spread misinformation. (Thou salt not bear false witness.) They tell us, "The supreme court outlawed prayer in the public schools." That is simply not true. The Supreme Court ruling said in effect that school districts, representatives of the government, may not prescribe prayer. After all, whose prayer would it be? Would it be Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Animism, or some other faith? If we cave in to these people, then we will have lost the precious freedoms that we and our ancestors have cherished. My ancestors were persecuted for their faith in Switzerland and Germany; states ruled by the churches of their time. One of my ancestors was beheaded along the Limmat River in Zurich because he was rebaptized as an adult. And so, they came to Pennsylvania and enjoyed the religious freedom offered by William Penn in his Noble Experiment. That's right; liberalism arose, not in Massachusetts, but in Pennsylvania.

What can we do to prevent the erosions of our freedoms? First of all, we must stay informed of what is happening in our country. That means getting our information from more than so-called Fox "News."We must be ever alert to the small steps that cause us to lose one freedom at a time. Secondly, we must work for the election of politicians who favor the preservation of our freedoms, be they Republican, Democrat, or of a third party. Finally, we must all exercise our franchise at the polls. It is a sad commentary on the citizens of this country that so few vote on Election Day. The religious right does a good job of getting their people to the polls. We who love freedom must do the same. Thanks for listening to the ramblings of the Old Professor.