> > There's another phenomenon that is interesting and encouraging to see. Prayer is politically correct again. Nobody's crying separation of church and state (which I believe in to the point of freedom OF religion, but not freedom FROM religion) to stop God from appearing anywhere in the public eye. Newspaper headlines are talking about a "nation in prayer." President Bush and other members of the government have been advocating prayer. Shortly after the attacks, the government *conducted* times of prayer for those in the nation that wished to participate and use the time to give thoughts and wishes and supplications to God to remember those that passed away and to support their families and friends.
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> It is encouraging to me that in this time of great need, we are not denying the One who can meet them by clinging to the belief that by recognizing God as a nation, we are somehow infringing on one's personal freedom to choose whether to worship God or not and how.

This is a reaction that has interested me over the past week. People's beliefs seem to polarise after a huge tragedy like this, and with all the upcoming uncertainty. The "letters to the editor" pages have been full of two types of letter: those who are turning more strongly to religion as a result of the attacks, and those who are turning *away* from it because they feel that the recent events prove either that there is no God, or if there is he doesn't care what happens to us. (Note: I'm NOT asking for a huge debate about why this is right or wrong. I'm just commenting that these are the two reactions I've seen among the general public.)

I don't suppose anybody who already *had* strongly held views would have changed them because of this. However, I think a lot of the fence-sitters have stepped off to one side or the other.

Question: What effect did current events have on your religious beliefs? If you had a strongly held viewpoint already, what effect did that viewpoint have on your reaction?

Brunnen-"5000 words maximum, to be handed in to this forum before the 'we all lost interest' deadline, whenever that is"G