Matters of Faith

Nobody cares anymore what you believe, or if you believe, as long as you keep it to yourself. But try to express your faith in the public arena and you’ll find out in a hurry that we live today in a society that tolerates private faith only. America’s Bill of Rights with its guarantee of religious freedom has been re-written by our courts to outlaw school prayers, city hall Christmas trees, religious salutations in federal employees’ e-mail, football game invocations, baccalaureate services, free Gideon Bibles for students . . . and on the nauseating list can go. You’re welcome to believe what you want to in America. Privately. Senior Editor Gene Shelburne offers us a series of devotional essays this month, reflecting on the dilemmas we face in dealing with matters of faith.