Imagine this. The next time you pull a few coins out of your pocket or purse, you find that they have the words “In Allah We Trust” written upon them.

That’s how American coins feel to someone who has a non-Christian belief or is a non-believer altogether. That’s how they feel to me.

Does it matter? It does if we want to preserve our freedoms. And it does if we believe in our Constitution.

We are now being asked to give up a few of our civil liberties in the fight against terrorism. Fine if the period has a definite end; not good if there is no end in sight.

You might ask, “How are religious freedom and terrorism connected?”

Terrorism is rooted in religious differences. If we do not address this fundamental fact, and recognize that the problem exists within American society, then we will see a very long period of terrorism and of “reduced civil liberties”.

Here is an example of the subtlety involved.

If you see a man with a turban or a woman with a scarf as you walk down the street, do you assume sub-consciously that they are second class citizens because they do not believe as the majority does? You may not, but many do.

No citizen should be expected to adhere to the religious beliefs of the majority in order to be something other than “second class”.

The United States is a country in which religious differences have no role in governments, or so the Constitution says. But governments have a way of drifting away from principle and toward the satisfaction of individual greed. Power can shift from “the people” to “those people”. The U.S. has shifted and it will continue to shift unless we act.

This change came about because television brought the ability to buy political power through advertising. Perhaps the Internet may help restore power through communication.

Campaign finance reform may help if it means that less money will be spent to win a seat. Reducing the power of money to influence public opinion will enhance the value of careful discussion and consideration of issues.

We must consider these issues if we expect to have a chance for peaceful resolution of our differences.