I am as offended by Christians trying to impose their beliefs on me as a Christian would be at Muslims trying to impose their beliefs on Christians.  (I consider myself agnostic but not athiest) There is no place for religion in our government.  Religion is a private matter.  I don't think Muslims should be able to disrupt work to pray 5 times a day and I don't think Christians should hang their 10 commandments in the courthouse.  That's what churches are for.

First I want to clarify something one of the Christian bashing contributors said. He was glad we were getting back to what our forefathers wanted which was a freedom of religion. Consider those words it says a freedom of religion. Not from religion. You are not guaranteed to be free from religion it is guaranteed that I am free 'to' observe my religion and you have that same right. You cannot shut me up because i differ from you. You can observe no religion or any religion , that is the intent of that phrase. I fully understand that many of you want to interpret that just the opposite so you can suppress my right call upon Jesus in school, court, or anywhere you happen to choose.

Crossky, don't hang "the ends justify the means" on atheism.  Just look at the Bush/Cheney administration's activities with regard to torture, spying on American citizens, etc.  In the "end", there's always someone to declare "the ends justify the means."  What else is war, even a "just" war?

While I consider myself a follower of Christ, I do not see much in the evangelical church that reflects the radical teachings of Christ.  During a time of a religous hierarchy in league with the political power of an empire, here came a enlightened soul , preaching a way of life which included taking care of the poor and disadvantaged, encouraged small communities of people with a common goal, who were rigerously honest with each other and with themselves, and who were tolerant and willing to change and grow. Taught a simple concept, There is a way of life and a way of death, and then described both ways in a simple manner anyone could understand, no theology, just a simple way of living.

A church that started not with the rich but as one Roman historian stated "the poor, women and Children," those whom nobody else wanted, especially those in the religious culture of his day where a 10 per cent gift to the priests allowed them the most ostantatious homes in Jerusalem.  

Then the church community got institutionalized by an emperor seeking to keep his empire together, became poltical, power and control hungry, and completely lost the teachings of the master who died in humility.  

Now church is a business, with bookstores, bible publishing companies, radio companies all owned by multi-national conglomerants.  Hardly what I think Jesus was going for.  

What the evangelical right wing, in their fear of change and losing power, and the actions of Bush, DeLay, Ken Lay, Ralph Reed, James Dobson and others has done, is made those who are not Christian not very interested in becoming Christian.  Jesus railed against hypocrasy, how would he feel about that which exists in the the Christian church today?  What would he say about all the whining going on?  The American church does not know anything about true persecution.

The church deserves to decline in poltical power because it was never meant to be a political force.  If the church got back to living the way of life, "Love God, Love your neighbor as yourself." a rather simple teaching that says everything about spirituality in 7 words, the world would be much different.  What a radical concept.  What is it that Christians have forgotten about "They will know us by our love," not our programs, not our evangelicalism, not our legalism, but by our love, unconditionally, not based on someone's actions but on well, love.

I still follow my Lord, but I long ago left the evangelical church because I can no longer stand it's legalism, its law, its put down of others who don't worship Christ as they do. its margenization of the poor.  

God is bigger than any box we can put him in.  Right now, the fasest growing spiritual movement in America is the 12 step program, where hurting hearts get the love, accountability and freedom they need to find God and grow.  God is moving past the church, which does not want to change and grow, like he always has.  Chrisitanity is dead within 2 generations, if Christians don't start living out the life, instead of taking everyone else's spiritual inventory.  

Perhaps, they should look at their own lives, their own fear etc, do their own inventory, and leave the rest to a God they believe is in control.  The last thing He needs is a bunch of cookie jar Christian commandoes who think they know it all trying to control things in self-will.

Grow up evangilicals, there is more to God and to life than what you are willing to believe.

The US is a country that is unique in the world.

The ethnic diversity alone is unparalleled and with it comes religious diversity and we should celebrate that diversity. Not try to make everyone look, act and think exactly the same.

The fortunate fact of the first amendment will protect that diversity and those who continue to insist on a single religion and seek to control it though the government should read the constitution.

The fact christian leaders especially evangelicals continue to promote dogma as truth is the likely reason for a noticable decline in Christianity. People do have the power of reason and that dogma flies in the face of reason.

God bless the founding fathers for their foresight and wisdom, let freedom of religion reign

“The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings before local magistrates followed by county court trials to prosecute people accused of witchcraft in Essex, Suffolk, and Middlesex counties of colonial Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693. Over 150 people were arrested and imprisoned, with even more accused but not formally pursued by the authorities. The two courts convicted twenty-nine people of the capital felony of witchcraft. Nineteen of the accused, fourteen women and five men, were hanged. One man (Giles Corey) who refused to enter a plea was crushed to death under heavy stones in an attempt to force him to do so. At least five more of the accused died in prison”   (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem_witch_trials)

We should be glad that Christian groupies of Rev.  Lou Engle can’t call a witch hunt anymore; otherwise they would crush people to death for stating anything remotely against their cult.  

Christianity, among other religious beliefs ,is a socially accepted delusion. Some people need their delusions to function on daily life, which is fine, Butt they have no right to impose that on those who do not share their delusion or to insist that it is real, especially in America, which was founded in large part to provide a safe haven from the dictatorship of religion.

Whether or not Meacham is right or wrong is immaterial.  Most humans are instinctively spiritual.  But ALL organized religions (for that matter, all ORGANIZATIONS...governments, corporations, etc.) are about power.  Some are started out of love and conviction...intending to share with others the ONLY TRUE way.  These ultimately turn to self-aggrandizement focusing on money and power.  Others start out with a lust for power and a belief in, once again, the ONLY ONE TRUE way.  At least the current version of the various Christian faiths allows non-believers the right to live even while trying mightily to convert the masses.  The current evolution of the Islamic faiths seem more inclined to kill you if you don't convert, so for the present it seems they are a bit more dangerous to those of us who believe that you are entitled to whatever beliefs you may hold but are not entitled to make me agree with you, or make be required to fund your beliefs.  The real story here it that both religion and government (all religion and all governments...especially ours) is about exercising control...which I can work with...and about making me fund their beliefs...which I CANNOT abide...and that is what will result in a second American revolution.

We can only hope that there will be less christian (or religious) influence on our government and their policies. We must not forget that we are a nation of many believers, in many things, and to impose policy or  codify in law ones group take on the bible is doing a great disservice to the many. Additionally, I believe that the impetus for many to not believe, as this article points out, is due in large part to the religious rights role in our government.

What is more concerning to me as an American is the religious rights complete neglect of the teaching of Christ. They focus not on his call to help the poor, feed the hungry, or to help a neighbor, the religious right focuses on issues of the day, Gay Marriage, Politics, etc. These topics, while important to a select group DO NOT represent what Jesus preached, and do represent what he stood for. He was, after all, the Prince of Peace, not the Prince of Hate. I believe if this message was the message we heard instead of the hate is is being spewed by the Religious Right, we would have more followers because there would be a reason to go to church and participate.

I haven't read the full article, but I will over this Easter weekend while travelling.  The number of secular, officially 'non-christians' is certainly increasing, and in the wake of the current failed push by the religious right to legistlate Christian based morality, maybe the true Church will organize and respond in 'agape', the greek term for Godly Love.  christians serving others and building personal relationships with lost, afflicted, disadvantaged, and discriminated people will result in changed lives, saved souls, and most importantly for our country, a greater and closer community.

To 'bndkllr2' who posted on April 9 at 1:03 PM: Morals can be fabricated without a God, but somewhere along the way 'the ends justify the means' comes into play when Idealists contruct their utopian vision, as they certainly will.  Witness Lenin and Stalin, who certainly were aitheists of some sort.  Morals come from the law, the law comes from the law giver, in my personal case that is God Almighty, the creator of Heaven and Earth.  

Secondly, the Bible is really two books, the Old Testament and the New Testament.  They are linked, in prophecy and history.  The characteristics of God in relation to his children are distinctly different between the Old and New Testaments.  Jesus said in the gospels 'I didn't come to abolish the law, I came to fulfill it'.  He didn't just give the New Covenant, he was/IS the New Covenant.  Everything changed when God in the human flesh came to Earth.  Christians operate under the New Covenant, and grace and mercy should prevail in their lives. but it frequently doesn't appear to.  That is alright, Christians aren't perfect, and they don't have to be; they are forgiven, becuase of their acceptance of Jesus Christ as their Savior for the sacrifice he made on the Cross by dying for all of mankind's sin.  Investigate the difference between the God of the New and Old Testament, and you will find a God of Love!

I see that this transition to a more "post-Christian America" is a positive thing.

Maybe now Christians will start giving up their overweening sense of entitlement and treat the rest of us non-Christians as equals instead of barely tolerated rivals.  Maybe I'm biased because I happen to be Pagan and I live in the Bible Belt, but  I'm tired of hearing the religious right whine on and on about their religious rights are being curtailed, how they're being "persecuted."  You want real persecution?  Try being a Wiccan or Pagan parent, freshly divorced from a non-Pagan who's all too willing to use your religion as an excuse to deny custody.  Happens every day here in the Midwest.

Whenever "the old order" finds itself losing it's grip on society, they always kick and scream and use whatever considerable power they have to maintain the status quo.  The truth is, ever since the cultural revolution in the 60's, Americans have been given more choices when it comes to social values and morals.  I know of many Christians who are not fundamentalists or evangelicals who have no problem raising questions with the scripture and look at the bible as an interpretive text - one written by a very fallible mankind, but occassionally inspired by God.  These Christians look at the bible as something to be read and pondered, and trust in the voice of God through prayer and contemplation as to how to interpret the written words of the bible.  To these Christians, there is lots of room for differences of opinion and interpretation, and because they understand that God gave all mankind free will, only God can take that right away and that codifiying religious beliefs into law strictly because it is Christian scripture is an attempt by man to take away that which was given by God.  So, they go to church, pray and are as strong as any fundamentalist in their beliefs, with the difference being that they understand it is just that - their belief - and that forcing those beliefs on society against their will goes against God's will.  So, as we continue to open our eyes as we march through history, learning from the mistakes of the Middle Ages and other events like the Salem witch trials, many of us good Christians do not fear a n ever-growing separation of church and state because the less that are beliefs are forged in fear and force, and the more that our beliefs are the fruits of personal discovery and revelation, the closer we are to hearing the true voice of God.

I disagree with the statement that we get our morals from religion.  Christians who say that have not read their bible from cover to cover.  Most christians today do not believe in slavery and genecide, or that unruly children should be stoned to death as the bible prescribes.  If people get their morals from religion, then why are atheists moral and law abiding citizens?  I argue that for the most part religion has harmed our society much more than it has helped it. One need only look at how it has been used to hurt women, blacks, gays or any body who follows science, rather than some made up creation story.  The god of the bible is a bronze-age jerk, and the bible would never have been written the way it was if it were written today. Is it any coincidence that religion thrives in poor uneducated countries and struggles in the developed world?  The fact is that no matter how much we try to "modernize" christianity by ignoring more scripture or making more excuses for this "god", the orignal purpose of it-to explain where we came from and regulate human behavior-is becoming irrelevant.  I follow facts, laws and my own concience, not fairy tales and fear. Are our laws perfect? No. Is our current understanding of the universe complete? No. But unlike religion, those things are constantly EVOLVING and even Christians agree that they are FAR SUPERIOR to what they were even a century ago, let alone 2000 years ago. God may be real, but we sure painted a bad picture of Him.

I don't doubt that there is a fall in organized religious attendance happening in general. I doubt that the current generation of parents is any less religiously inclined, however. The reasons for the decline are cultural. Religions have not kept up with the cultural changes or adapted to them well. Many people are educated and independent minded and do not feel like spending an hour or two of time having a religious figure what they should do and pay in donations for the priviledge. I dont think that most people buy into the message that if they don't follow the prescribed rituals they will be condemned in the afterlife. The focus seems more appropriately on the message and the messenger of Christianity rather than the ministers of the religion. I think the advent of personal computers and the internet has alot to do with this. You can get what you need online and under your control in a very short period of time. Organized religion simply does not fit well into this model and appears more and more outdated and irrelevant to many. Aside from the religious message which is important but more personalized to the individual, organized religion has always served an important social and cultural function as a second home. It also teaches morality and civility in a forceful way and I believe profoundly effects children in a positive way that others cannot. When you read articles about children behaving like divas as a more common phenomenon, one has to think that those children have not learned to put others or anything else before themselves. Religious teaching serves and important function in teaching and promoting such humility as a virtue. I fear that not exposing children to organized religion loses many of them to lives of conscienceless and selfish disregard for fellow citizens. From my own experience as a child, my whole world view changed when I learned that there was an all-powerful being which was aware of everything that I did and would judge me based on my record after I left this world. Losing an opportunity to instill this concept in children I think is creating a decline in civility in general as these children become adults. I think as responsible parents we must expose our children to organized religion, no matter how inconvienent it may be and encourage participation in voluntary religious activities and events outside the mainsteam of rituals if they show interest. My family like many was dysfunctional when I was a child and attending extra-curricular activities run by the religion served as a safe haven and welcome relief to the tumult at home.

Hmm... interesting... but I think that one thing that can be surmised from all of this is that while more people are growing up outside of church, the influence of Christianity on politics is still strong.  

I understand the editor's intent in his article, but I don't believe that "Christianity" will disappear from the public forum anytime soon.