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One Nation under God The United States of America, the melting pot of culture and diversity, could it be the breeding grounds for ever continuing religious debates and battles? Can a culture be all inclusive and still accommodating for all beliefs and walks of life? This paper will take a glance at the religious backbone on which this country was developed. It will look at the religious diversity in the United States today. Then it will look at the controversies the people have been struggling with over religious doctrine and politics. With more forms of religion than anyone can count, is it possible for the country to remain all for one and one for all? The founding fathers paid for their freedom through blood, sweat, and tears. They fought for their freedom to own land, and worship the god they believed in the way they believed they should. As far back as the Mayflower Compact, one can see evidence of faith in the en who founded this diverse country. Then the Declaration of Independence opened with the belief of an entitlement from God, and it closed in faith of His protection. The words of the Gettysburg Address will forever resound in the hearts of Americans. "that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that the government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the earth." Among the first Americans were those of Puritan, Quaker, and Separatist faiths. They passed down their beliefs and traditions through the following generations. Traditions can be defined as a school of thought handed down from generation to generation. Darity described tradition as "a source of basic learning, occurring even before formal education begins and continuing throughout life [and] culturally is linked often to a group's heritage...tradition carries a sense of social patterns." (Darity 2008) Today, Americans can see and feel religious based traditions everywhere. National holidays include Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter; just to name a few. These holidays are not only observed by members of the religious community, but the nation as a whole. One can also view these traditions in Americans' common figures of speech: "God bless you" when someone sneezes, "dear Lord" when one hears bad news, and "God forbid" when referring to a bad outcome. Even though these men paved the way for religious freedom, ever since day one there have been conflicts amongst

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