My latest AJC Column: “God’s Not Dead, But Too Many Believe Otherwise”

The movie theaters are currently showing the intriguing and inspiring story of a college freshman who accepts the challenge to prove his atheist philosophy professor wrong. On the first day of the semester, the teacher states that he does not want to waste time debating the existence of the “man in the sky”. So he proposes that all students sign a paper with three words on it: God is dead. The young man refuses to sign the paper and accepts the challenge to prove the professor wrong. He has three 20-minute sessions to do so. What follows is a movie that will hold your attention from beginning to end, if indeed you believe that there is a God and that he is certainly not dead.

This week, as Jews started commemorating the Passover and Christians around the world prepare to celebrate Good Friday and Easter, the heavens displayed an enthralling cosmic phenomenon commonly referred to as a blood moon. This phenomenon is not extremely rare in itself, occurring every 5 to 20 years. However, what is set to happen in the next 18 months is considered rarer: NASA’s lunar eclipse expert says there will be four blood moons and one solar eclipse between them. Each blood moon will actually coincide with the eve or the first day of two important Jewish holidays — Passover and Sukkot of 2014 and 2015. And so another debate starts: Is God sending us a message? If you have not read anything about it yet, you will at least be intrigued by the historical data concerning important markers in Israel’s history linked to three of the most recent occurrences of the tetrad (four blood moons). Bloggers around the country, including myself, wrote about it this week.

Regardless of religion, debates about heavenly messages by way of the stars or whether or not God even exists are as old as mankind. Throughout the ages, the same argument between evolutionists and creationists has echoed within the walls of universities and intellectual arenas alike. In an attempt to ensure that all Americans would have freedom to worship, as well as freedom of speech, America’s forefathers penned the First Amendment of the Constitution, which reads: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech …”

However, the movie “God Is Not Dead” was inspired by a reality that is happening today in this country. Numerous faith-related lawsuits fill our court system, as individuals seek to preserve their constitutional rights. Social pressures against Judeo-Christian beliefs find their way in the workplace as well as schools. From the recent case of an elementary student who was not able to write about her hero, Jesus, to universities holding rallies against Israel, it seems as if Christians and Jews are losing ground in their right to be respected for their faith. I do not expect public schools and universities to promote any particular faith, but I also believe that their faculty members should not be allowed to create a hostile environment for any faith. Nor should students be prohibited from writing about their God or praying at school.

The very principles of freedom of worship and speech which America’s forefathers vowed to protect are an important foundation of our country. In my opinion, God is not dead. You may think otherwise. We both should be able to voice our beliefs anywhere, and respectfully agree to disagree. That is why America has been, for over 200 years, the land of the free.