AU Intern Ruby French feels extraordinarily lucky that she had the freedom to explore religion without pressure or threats of discrimination. She envisions an America where all experience this freedom, to believe or not to believe in whatever way they choose. That's one of many reasons why she spent her summer at AU.

To my fellow Christians, I’d like to say, please do not take every attempt to enforce church-state separation as an attack on Christianity. It is imperative to be critical of each individual situation and weigh the circumstances surrounding it.

Justice John Paul Stevens took the position that no American should be forced to pay taxes to support the religion of another. He also understood why government attempts to 'help' religion end up weakening faith groups.

Although the proclamation’s intent is, without doubt, to take a sledgehammer to the separation of church and state mandated by the Constitution, the mayor of Mount Vernon, Ill., felt the need to spell it out so no person could misinterpret the city’s goal.