(Disclaimer: The following are my thoughts, opinions and beliefs and not meant in any way to disrespect anyone, but to encourage thoughtful, loving communication about ideas. Take what you like and leave the rest.)

I found myself thinking about this thread as I woke up this morning. Back in the late 1970s, I taught junior high school on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Montana. Around the holidays, we English teachers banded together to use the various holiday symbols (such as the tree) to teach symbolism. Although there was a large Christian element on the reservation, there was also a strong native element and we walked a fine line between the two. (Northern Montana was settled by white people later than many places -- I knew people who remembered seeing their first white man.)

American began in part because of a desire of some to have religious freedom; to live in a place that had no state religion. That's why we don't have one. Based on the way our government documents were written, our founders believed in God, at least nominally.

Has the separation of church and state gone too far? Perhaps, but I don't believe it has in terms of separation of religious tenats from schools. However, a new religion has crept into our schools, and the powerful teachings of religions is gone. That new religion is materialism.

It's ironic, isn't it, that we allow our schools to have commerican support in the form of vending machines, piped in news (with commercials), logos on all types of school paraphenalia, but forbid the mention of God? We teach our children to be good little employee widgets by force-feeding them testing material and forget to have broad discussions on treating your fellow being as you would have yourself treated, and loving something bigger than yourself.

These are my thoughts from my heart and I would be interested in loving responses from others on them. I'm very concerned about our world and our children.