Hallowed be thy name

While settling in to watch Joan of Arcadia -- a television series about a girl who meets God in everyone from a punk rocker to an elderly lady -- a disclaimer from the network appeared on the screen. The message rejected any relationship between the show's theme and the views of the network. Clearly, CBS didn't want to offend anyone.\nI am not going to lie. IU's diversity immersion is new to me. Before arriving at IU, I attended an all-girls catholic high school down south. We found diversity in the different colored ribbons we wore in our hair. The ideas behind the push for diversity are completely valid. Discrimination is awful and anything that leads to its demise is worth pursuing. Yet an overstatement of diversity often does two things: accentuates our differences and discriminates against the established norm.\nSomewhere along the line, the Supreme Court decided that prayer in public schools was illegal. Separation of church and state apparently trumps First Amendment rights of free speech. Let's be honest here. Separation of church and state does not and will never exist. We are a country founded on the basis of freedom of religion, not freedom from religion. The government is prohibited from endorsing a religion. Yet how does a display of the Ten Commandments endorse a religion anymore than a copy of Bill Clinton's My Life endorse his adulterous lifestyle? Agnostic? So what! Those who do not believe in God do not believe in the authority of the document and do not take it as truth. Therefore, it cannot be offensive. Worship a deity of another name? Seriously, does the name really matter? Let's agree on fundamental truths and concentrate on the actual content of the document. Ousting the "Our Father" does not teach tolerance. It teaches that differences can be mended by throwing out the opposition. Requiring a classroom of kids to be silent out of respect for their peers and their decisions to pray (or not) is tolerance in action.\nDiversity training often begins with acknowledging differences. Too often, this agenda promotes pointing out discrepancies and "recognizing and respecting" them by not questioning or seeking to understand them. This is counter-productive. Respectful dialogue not only helps to inform dissenters, but also strengthens their own convictions by encouraging them to explain the origins of their personal faith. By shutting down dialogue between social groups, we lose the ability to establish common ground and build a relationship of understanding. Differences segregate; similarities solidify.\nTolerance involves tolerating the majority. Skirting around a belief in God to avoid "offending" others is not only counter-intuitive, but downright ridiculous. Our country is characterized by its diversity and promise of freedom. Hiding behind our opinions and beliefs in order to be politically correct is not the spirit of America. Neither is hate. We may only stand united if we kneel in respect.