This world is so messed up.

Quoted: The boy with the knife looks barely 12. In a high-pitched voice, he denounces the bound, blindfolded man before him as an American spy. Then he hacks off the captive's head to cries of "God is great!" and hoists it in triumph by the hair.

Finished this book this morning -- it's a broad sweep of American history from a religious perspective, with the real goal being to bring clarity to the true intent of the founders in creating the separation of church and state.

It uses the founders' own words, for the most part, and grants some real perspective to an issue as prevalent today as it was then, and will be tomorrow. I strongly recommend this book if answers to any of the following questions interest you:

- Were the founders Christians?
- Is America a Christian nation?
- Is separation of church and state intended to protect the church, the state, or both?
- What is the difference between private and public religion?
- Why are references to "God" so common in American politics, despite the supposed "wall" between church and state?

I certainly had some of these questions, and this book brought much clarity to the issue. Highly recommended.

Quoted: I have always been a proud Jew, but never a terribly observant one. Several weeks ago, I made a rare visit to synagogue for a cousin's bat mitzvah and, as usual, found myself confused (and bored) by a Hebrew service I couldn't understand. During the second

Interesting chart of church bodies in the US.

Interesting thoughts.

Quoted: The increasing tendency to overlook the many identities that any human being has and to try to classify individuals according to a single allegedly pre-eminent religious identity is an intellectual confusion that can animate dangerous divisiveness.

Quoted: This is a listing of the major religions of the world, ranked by number of adherents.