I once heard that our nation is struggling to find the "soul of America". I didn't think much about it, after all, our nation is divided and we are engaged in a bitter and anxious election cycle. Of course we are struggling, happens every four years. Many of the current topics divide the nation and it seems appropriate that we would use this term, "soul of America", to describe our current state. However, I have thought on this for some time. I have asked questions of myself in order to gauge my own soul. Without fail, I tend to hearken back to the days of my youth. Most of the adults of my youth would voice concern over the "soul of America" even then. When I would ask them about their youth, they would say that their parents would also worry about the same thing. I guess you could say that our nation has been in a downward spiral, depending on your point of view, for a long time. I wondered if I was putting too much concern over what is happening now, and whether I should just realize it is part of the natural progression of things. I have come to the conclusion that, yes, it is a natural progression of things, but, I should be concerned. To illustrate my point, I would like to discuss only one principle, the first amendment and our freedom of religion.
