The US Constitution was ratified by the 13 states in 1789. Realizing the original Constitution failed to protect individual liberties, the Bill of Rights, or the first ten Amendments, were introduced to Congress in the same year, and came into effect on December 15, 1791. The first Amendment, as Thomas Jefferson described it, built a “wall of separation between Church and State” (Letter to the Danbury Baptists, 1802).

Even so, many fundamental Christians feel that the United States is a Christian nation and prayer should be mandated in public schools; creationism should be taught to children; and the 10 commandments should adorn public buildings. And they have taken over the Republican Party. That gives the Fundamentalist power to pursue their agenda: to rid the country of secularism.

We only need to look at the legislation passed in previous eight last years to know that this is true. George Bush won the war on the very unbiblical taxes by cutting taxes on the wealthy, which passed in the House at 1:56 am on a Friday in May, under the cloak of darkness. Those proponents of the flat tax—they are proponents of the Biblical tax, the only tax mentioned in the Bible. To fundamentalists, the free market rewards good Christian behavior and punishes the unrepentant. And so the Republicans did their bidding and cut regulations on corporations. Then of course, George Bush’s abstinence only sex education program, where lots of government funds were given to faith-based programs. Also there were multiple calls for an Amendment to the Constitution making marriage only between “one man and one woman”, to keep the Biblical definition of marriage law of the land.

The past eight years clearly chipped away at the wall between church and state. Even for the most devout Christian, this should be alarming. We only need to look at theocracies like Iran and Afghanistan under Taliban rule to see what we could become. The most literal interpretations of our Bible would put our society backwards 2000 years. Women, Jews, gays, Buddhists, Muslims, and atheists would all become second class citizens. Science would not have the place it does in our society today. We must remember that this country was founded by men and women escaping the tyranny of the Church of England; and Nazi Germany was led by a very religious man wishing to rid its country of moral decay.

We need to rebuild the wall. As a nation, we need to understand that a marriage under the law is not the same as a marriage in the Church. We need to understand that faith-based programs have their place, but not in government. We need to understand that science does not necessarily preclude the supernatural. We should know that someone else’s beliefs, or lack thereof, do not in any way diminish our own beliefs. Most of all, we should know that our salvation can not be legislated or coerced.

But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no god. In neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg. – Thomas Jefferson

In light of recent discussion, I’ve been thinking over the weekend, more like reflecting on my past relationships. My friendships, the relationship I have with my Mother, etc. I have always felt that having regrets were a sad sad state of affairs and that I never wanted to have any.

In your hardest times in life, you will find out who your friends are, and the saddest thing is most of the time, you walk away from it with less friends and a broken heart. The important thing however is that you walk away from it.

Friends will swear they will be there for you and for some reason or another when the time comes, they are nowhere to be found. Sometimes out of spite we might be inclined to wish we’d never had that friendship, or relationship. But that’s no way to live at all. Regrets haunt you, make you bitter and give you wrinkles.

I think it’s impossible to go through life with no regrets, you will always have some, but ideally they’ll be small regrets. I say this because I believe that even if you’re in a bad relationship, if you can walk away from that having learned something about yourself, having learned anything at all, that’s a benefit that negates regret.

I have had my share of relationships in my life sour, my relationship with my Mom, a marriage that lasted a short short time, thankfully, acquaintances and several friendships that have come and gone through the years. Most of those I’ve learned something from. I think that life is a classroom and it’s our job to make sure we take everything away from it to expand our minds and lives that we can.

I’d like to know if you think so too. Can you tell me something you’ve gained from a relationship that you don’t have anymore, perhaps a memory that you cherish, a knowledge you gained that you never otherwise would have gained, a relationship that was borne of another that is now no longer, even.

We all have struggles and problems but if we learn from experience, including relationship experience, I think we gain the upper hand in life.

I am sure you’ve heard the expression that people come into your life for a reason, season or a lifetime. I believe that’s true.

I often talk about my mother here, and our relationship, or lack thereof – by my choosing. While I am estranged from her now, and that makes me, I believe, a happier person, I would not be who I am today had I not come up that way. I am proud of me on most days and though I don’t understand the way my mom did things, I think it’s a vital part of who I am.

I had friends in high school that taught me the value of friendship and a shoulder to lean on, teachers that taught me things that I still enjoy doing, I learned how to write in high school not just from teachers, but from classmates as well, Ruby, who guest posted here, being one of them.

So now it’s your turn. Tell me some of your experiences, something you’ve taken away from a friendship, a relationship of any kind; teacher/student, parent/child, friend to friend, etc. Something you cherish and would never trade.

Here’s the Monday Mojo video for those of you that were waiting for it.