Lately, I've been reading letters to the editor and feeling sick to my stomach. Marcia Stirman's statement "I believe Muslims are our enemies" is a slap in the face to this very idea of religious freedom. Generalizations like this are harmful both in the way we appear to the rest of the world, and also the way we represent ourselves to people here at home. Millions of American citizens are Muslim. They love this country, support it,defend it. And let's be honest, most Muslims around the world are neither violent nor extreme. They are simply people living their lives, raising children and practicing their religious beliefs.
In another letter we see: "Vote in this election for Jesus." Last I checked, Jesus was not running for President. Instead, we have two American men, both Christian, who have served their countries and would like to lead us into the future. When the Founders created our Constitution, they explicitly stated that American citizens should be free to exercise their religious beliefs.
The Founders experienced the oppressive nature of state-sponsored religion in England and sought to create a country where people were free from this type of oppression.