Michael Newdow is proving a point I made years ago. I said, and have been saying, that eventually the Pledge of Allegiance will be altered to remove the reference to God. This will be the same for coins, paper currency, and everything else referring to God including important United States documents. I understand their point. What I don't understand are all the Christians who get in an uproar over it. It's been obvious for a long time that this was coming. And, most importantly, they should not defend the idea of maintaining it. Have I surprised my Christian friends? I'll prove my point with this: Christianity (the belief that Jesus Christ, the Son of God who visited Earth in human form, died a physical death after taking on the sins of the world, and went to Hell for three days after which He returned to Earth alive again and finally ascended to Heaven) should not and cannot be forced onto someone. To be Christian is to believe this by free will. A person cannot be made to be one, he or she must accept Christ on his or her own accord, right? It's true that I would like to see it stay, but the facts stated above remain as they are: facts.

While I'm at it, I may as well "talk" about some other things related to Christianity. I've noticed that a lot of people claiming to be Christians appear not so. Christians shouldn't have expensive cars and clothes. How can you not feel guilty about such things when tens of thousands of children in other countries die each week from starvation? How can you possibly justify your excess? Real Christians do not have large bank accounts. Maybe these hypocrisies result from ignorance of the Bible. Jesus said not to gather treasures on the Earth, but to accumulate treasure in Heaven. True also is the fact that many, many people claiming to be Christians haven't even read the Bible. One of the reasons I stopped going to church was hypocrisy. Many times I would see members of my church somewhere else and they seemed like different people. Outside of church they acted differently. We even had a couple in which the woman had been cheating for years. Everyone knew about it, and nothing was ever said. I was just disappointed in the whole thing. I can certainly understand why some people are so against Christianity. A lot of people claiming to be Christian just aren't. I constantly encounter women who I know aren't Christian (they've said they don't believe in God, they drink all the time, sleep around, etc.) but think it's a fine idea to wear a cross necklace. Everytime I see this I want to ask them why.

Speaking of church, when I was little I remember wondering why there was no discussion. Why do we just go, listen, and leave? I began asking more questions as I grew. Why do a few men meeting in a room alone make the decisions for the whole church? Why do we go to church as if it is a social gathering where we meet to compare clothes and gossip? Why are we not helping those in need instead of simply sitting in church? Would an all-powerful, merciful God who loves us want us to sit in a building and look at each other—shouldn't we, people who can afford nice clothes, cars, video games for our children, and so on, help less fortunate people instead?

It seems as if the number of people against Christianity is continually growing. I know exactly what one of the main problems is. "Christians" speak God's message but act in a way that renders that message void. They don't live the way they say to live. If we all say to be a certain way but then act the opposite, it doesn't work. You can go to church all you want, and say that you believe in God and you're a Christian and all that, but if you don't act as one then all those things you say mean nothing. It's like the story Jesus told of the sons. One told his father he would go do something for him, but didn't. The other said he wouldn't, but changed his mind and did. Just because you say you're with God doesn't make it so. You must also live as such. No one would have believed in Jesus if early Christians had acted this way. It's why Christianity is on a decline in the world. Atheists sure have a lot of good arguments against Christians, and people find them much more believable.

Another big mistake, I think, is that many ignorant "Christians" hate people because of what they think the Bible says. The most appropriate example is hatred of homosexuals. I'm not sure if godhatesfags.com is a joke site or if the creator is serious. Either way, this is what I'm speaking of. A lot of Christians hate homosexuals based on reasons that aren't even justified. We shouldn't hate them, or anyone. If Christians are hateful to anyone it goes against the foundations of the religion and makes them look all the more hypocritical. I've known three people in my classes that were (and I suppose still are) gay, and I spoke with them quite regularly. I had the courage one day to speak with one of them about this. We had been talking about related topics and I thought it was an appropriate time to do so. He commented that I was one of the "better Christians" he's encountered. As it turned out, he was quite knowledgable of the Bible. He said that most people who speak to him as I had did so in a different, more aggresive manner. They were only concerned with changing him and it totally hindered their ultimate intentions by blasting him with stories of Hell. Although being parted from God in eternity is a real possibility to some, I think it's better to tell of God's/Jesus' purpose, forgiveness, and love to people you think may be lacking them. Casting judgement is something that shouldn't be done. Telling a homosexual he or she is going to Hell is not our place to say.

Who am I to say these things, anyway? I sin like everyone else. But, at least I try to be a decent human who cares about all others. I'm not trying to preach here, I'm just stating my opinion. You have the freedom to disagree. I'm one Christian who won't dislike you just because you don't believe everything I do.