Religious Background       

   A potential delegate inquired about my religious background during a West Virginia county dinner.  Although, I was raised Presbyterian; I have attended and given speeches at Lutheran, Baptist, Methodist, Anglican, Episcopalian, Nazarene, Catholic, Jewish, and many other houses of worship around the world.  Included are testimonies in Ukraine Churches and all seven Russian Orthodox Cathedrals within Kremlin walls after re-opening in 1990. 

   I was baptized in a Methodist Church (March 29, 1942) in Milwaukee - O. L. Merritt, Minister - later, as a pre-teen, experienced Confirmation in Trinity Presbyterian Church (April 7, 1955) in Milwaukee - Rev. David Griffith.

   What each has in common is more important than how each faith is different.  In all, it comes down to one GOD with vision…

   “So Help Me God” – George Washington, April 29^th 1789 –  on occasion of taking Oath of office –  instituted this phrase setting a 330 year precident affirming American resolve.

   Three years later our founding fathers added to our Constitution, Amendment I (effective December 15 1791) – “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people to peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for redress of grievances.”

   As a chaplain’s assistant in an army battalion, I assisted in multi-faith service preparations for troops during training missions preparing them for tours in Viet Nam.  Our program included Clergy combat training emphasizing survival tactics in a war zone. During our mock wars in several theates of operation – Asia, Germany and Russia; immunity from capture was denied to our chaplins as a condition of training for survival.

   While an executive officer of a limousine service, developing a wedding business was an opportunity in great part to learn about other religious beliefs practiced around the world due to our Washington DC market.  I personally briefed our drivers on ritual, customs, ceremony and taboos to assure no embarrassing glitches to parents of the brides or grooms.  My awareness grew to include Muslim, Hindu, Buddhism, Sikhism, and East African traditions.

   For what it is worth, belief or faith is individual within guidelines presented by those professing historical facts as written or interpreted from 2,000 + years of manuscripts and translations.  Each considers  “God” or another divine persona as the creator of humankind along with explicit guidelines, i.e.; 10 Commandments or doctrine for living a life acceptable for the hereafter.

   It is not American to just tolerate, but to respect other religious beliefs either practiced or rejected.  Government by the People will elect those individuals in their community to represent their interests honoring our freedoms as our founding fathers envisioned those rights.

   While 1.9 Billion Christians inhabit this planet, there are hundreds of religions intersecting our lives.  We are bombarded with moral values.  Some ideologies incorporate The Ten Commandments” while others challenge individual rights to Pursue Happiness.

   Our founding fathers were intelligent enough to separate religous beliefs from governing as a preventative measure thwarting ancient “Holy Wars”.  Through the ages history has recorded that civilizations and nations cannot survive those intense conflicts. 

   It is my nature and my position as witnessed from my perspective of our World that controversy over moral values, religious rights, and individual faith is not an issue when offering government of common sense decision affecting each and everyone of us.

   Our eternal future relies on facts that we must strive for survival, sustenance, and procreation to propagate this world or move on.

   Enough “pontification” about conceptual relativity - it is time to discuss perceptions, society, and biblical beliefs.

   Like any entity in America there is much preparation of ceremony in religious communications.  In local religion, it is through church services and gatherings.  For a common message, it is hard to find reference to just one Savior born some 2008 years ago.  History has revealed that belief dates as far back as 1500 BC.

   Within my scope of assisting various religious leaders in global congresses and local congregation development, I have learned the business of religion from producing live coverage Pope Paul VI's, Fifth Church Music Congress conviened in America by His Holiness in 1966, to establishing with a recently ordained minister in the Church of the Nazarene a viable congregation in 1996.

   Our U.S. Congress has established a non-profit category for religious entities giving them tax freedom.  Many congregations use those funds in humanitarian aide throughout the World.  Others for building monuments to their beliefs, and others are questionable as to motivation for serving their “flock” in opposing financial strategies.

   During WW II Soviet KGB infiltrated the Orthodoxy with control of the church to monitor parishioner activity and sentiments.  Israelis and Palestinians have conflicting Century old beliefs much to their own demise.  Other groups take note and use religious righteousness to seek to rule The World.

   This American foundation of Re;igious Freedom in 1789 was a corner stone of the new World.  I have relatives who are Mormon and many Muslim and Buddhist friends who are building businesses in America to learn and replicate in their homelands.  My late campaign manager was Unitarian, a religion I was intimidated by until getting to know their similarities and their differences through its American Leadership Conference, December 3-6, 1987 (A conference of bi-partisan Senators and Congressmen).

   It is important to respect religion regardless of one’s personal beliefs and faith or non-faith.  It is our right according to The Constitution of the United States.  Separation was to protect that right, not restrict it. 

   If you can support this philosophy, so can I, but your delegate vote is needed to meet next month’s objective to reach my goal on January 20, 2009.  

   Thank you for considering this experiment.

   P.S. Every morning I thank my mom for making that decision.

I wrote this message.