Religion is the one of the least important aspects of my life. On a scale, it sits somewhere between how I feel about mowing the lawn and picking up my dry cleaning: uninteresting in general but something I have to deal with nonetheless.

It’s not that I don’t believe in God. I definitely believe in a higher power. I don’t, however, believe that just one religion has it right.

God. Buddha. Hindu-floaty thing. God is God is God.

I whole-heartedly believe that the god that Christians pray to is the same god that Muslims pray to.

My learning experience causes me to believe that all religions operate on generally the same beliefs, myths and practices.

Creation. Re-birth. Karma. Good versus evil. Heaven versus hell.

I’m furious every time I hear about another group of Christian missionaries who go to a Third World country not to help build houses or irrigate water, but to spread Christianity to a society of people who already have their own religion.

Those people don’t need the word of God. They have that. They might need housing or food though.

Maybe while they’re over there handing out pamphlets they can find the time to actually, you know, help them.

What I find most amusing and infuriating about Americanized Christianity is the complete hypocrisy that runs to the very bones of the institution.

We can go to other countries with Christianity but we can’t allow others to come here with their own religions?

From what I’ve gathered from my reading, the proposed mosque at Ground Zero is actually an Islamic cultural center near Ground Zero.

I’m sure there are many Christian missionaries who have set up camp right in the heart of Islamic culture overseas. Why is this so different?

I’m not sure what message Christian missionaries are really preaching. I would hope that they are preaching a message of love, acceptance, tolerance, kindness, civility . oh wait . no. Probably not.

There’s no denying that this country was built on one major issue: freedom of religion.

I know this because for as long as I can remember, Christians in America have been reminding me of this fact every chance they get.

I’d like to take this moment to remind them of what they’ve fought so hard for me to remember.

This country has a constitution that guarantees freedom of religion.

If you want to fight for prayer in your public schools on that argument, you can’t change your mind and launch an attack on an Islamic cultural center near Ground Zero.

In short, you can’t have your cake and eat it, too.

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