I recently read something by Ben Stein where he concluded that since we, as a people, have gone to such great pains to keep God out of our schools and government that we are in effect pushing God out of our lives. He suggests that God is allowing such things as Katrina and terrorism because we have turned our backs on Him.

This kind of thinking drives me bananas. It shows just how egocentric adherents of the Bible can be. It also displays a selective memory on the part of those who know the full story of how the Bible's God has allowed His Children to be played, persecuted and manipulated throughout the centuries.

Religious Freedom means we should all be allowed to practice our own faith in our own way. Being a Pagan, I would be delighted to have Pagan prayer and ritual included in my children's public school. Funny, no one is proposing to bring my Pagan Universe into schools or government.

When I hear people go on like Ben Stein did, I know that they have absolutely no respect for the beliefs of others. If they truly understood that the Creator is the Creator, no matter what one calls it, they would realize that all faiths have value and that each honors the same entity they themselves worship.

They might also realize that more and more faiths don't need a Church or a specially allotted time or place of worship to practice their beliefs. I don't actually need Pagan prayer and ritual in schools to instruct my children or practice my faith. I do it every day.

The reason many want Christian prayer out of public schools and government is because it's so intolerant. If you're not Christian, you go to Hell, right? You're "either with them or against them" is how they seem to view things. There's no room for discussion, disagreement or debate with them. It's oppressive and does not allow for freedom or tolerance.

The Catholic Church was the MAIN reason our forefathers felt so strongly about the separation of Church and State. As Deists, most of them were spiritual men who had no wish to combine their own personal beliefs with the new government they were building because they realized that men may view God differently, but that alone does not portray the true measure of a man's character or worth.

So, why is God allowing things like Katrina and terrorism?

The devastation of Katrina could have been averted (or at least lessened) if people were more aware of, and comfortable with, their own personal power. I personally know of at least one person who stayed in his home in Southern Texas during the second storm, positive that he would be safe. The next day, there was destruction very close by, but his home remained undamaged. Just coincidence? I don't believe in coincidences, and I have seen people manipulate weather regularly through nothing more than the power of their own will. Perhaps if people would stop waiting and hoping that God would take care of everything for them, they would have applied their power for their own good.

Another, more traditional, way to look at Katrina is this: Nature is Nature. It's wild, it's like energy. It runs its course without any thought for whose path it might cross. In this respect, we must adapt, adjust and react when Nature takes its course. In the case of Katrina, the powers that be did not do that. So many of them, conditioned to rely on the will of God, waited and hoped without adequate contingency plans. So many of those with the power to help, who claim to be aligned with God and the Church, still have not managed to afford relief to millions of people who were affected by this force of Nature. If it was a test, we surely failed.

And terrorism? There are some who might say that terrorism is a direct result of those old Bible influenced patterns that have endured for so long. Religious extremism and intolerance. Conquest. Power. Truth.

Take the religious aspect out of it, and what do you have?

Take out the righteous and power driven desire to control, and what do you have?

Without these aspects, these most extreme of all HUMAN motivations, we have a much deflated situation that could be resolved in a far more Godly manner.

Gwenneth Morgan is a 40ish, Pagan wife, mother and businesswoman who is totally fed up with the Old Way. With the belief that humans have evolved to a point where we can, as a group, embrace the Light, she has found the courage to openly share her views and encourage others to do the same. Visit her web site to learn more. http://www.gwennethmorgan.com