Hardly a day goes by that we don’t see evidence of changes in America that portend the decline of our nation’s preeminence in the world. Not as the world’s only superpower, although that certainly appears to be happening, but also as a beacon of freedom and hope for people everywhere. For over 200 years, this country has been the destination of refuge and opportunity that has attracted the downtrodden and oppressed who are seeking a better life for themselves and their families.

However, over the past 30 years or so, the culture of our great society has gradually morphed into a mindset and a way of thinking that will surely become the downfall of history’s greatest experiment in freedom if it is not confronted and defeated.

A graphic example of this situation is described in an article about Debbie McLucas, who works for Kindred Hospital in Mansfield, Texas. She happens to be a supervisor at that hospital and – get this: she brought a three by five foot American flag to work and displayed it in the office she shares with other supervisors, one of whom found the flag offensive and complained to their superior, who took it down.

Before you make up your mind about this incident, here are some additional facts to consider:

• Mrs. McLucas’ husband and sons are former servicemen, and her daughter is currently serving in Iraq.
• She brought the flag and displayed it just prior to Memorial Day.
• The supervisor who complained is from Africa and has been in the U.S. for 14 years.
• Mrs. McLucas was told that the families of some patients and visitors to the hospital had also complained about the flag. (The article doesn’t explain how they happened to see it inside an office that is shared by a number of supervisors.)
• Mrs. McLucas said she was also told the flag would have to be taken down if only one person complained.

In the interest of full disclosure, at one point in my career I ran a hospital. That said, here are some of the questions I have about this incident:

• What could there possibly be about our flag that another American or for that matter, any American, could find offensive?
• Was the flag offensive because of its size (three by five feet) or would any size flag have been equally offensive? What about a very small flag, say the size that sits on a desk top? Would that also offend some people?
• What would the hospital do if a patient asked to have a flag by their bed or in their room?
• What if that patient were a former military person, who had faithfully served our country?
• Do the people who visited the hospital and complained about the flag being displayed also object when the flag is displayed at meetings, such as Rotary and other service clubs, in stores, at schools, courthouses or other public buildings, etc.? If not, what’s so offensive about the flag being displayed at a hospital?
• Do the people who are offended by the flag being displayed also decline to participate in the pledge of allegiance at meetings or refuse to stand when the national anthem is played at public gatherings, such as sports events or parades, etc.?
• How about the flag being displayed at a private residence? Is that also offensive and, if it is, what should be done about it? Require residents to take down their flags if anyone complains?

Some of these questions may seem a bit over the top, but I do wonder, where should we draw the line on all of this? When do we stand up and tell people that if they are offended by the American flag they can leave the country any time. My response would be, “Don’t let the door hit you on your way out.”

Have we reached the point in America where we are unwilling or afraid to offend even one person? What should we do about people who come here seeking the freedom and opportunities that our society offers, then criticize America or Americans or our patriotism?

If being “all inclusive” means that we must avoid offending even one person, then what are we to do when there are competing interests or conflicting opinions? Who or which one should prevail?

The confusion that reigns in America today is just one of the many unfortunate and dangerous consequences of the culture war that is currently being waged in our society. If we do not put a stop to it, I fear my grandchildren and future generations of Americans will inherit a society that no longer offers the freedom and opportunity that has always been the envy of the rest of the world.

© 2009 Harris R. Sherline, All Rights Reserved

Read more of Harris Sherline’s commentaries on his blog at “opinionfest.com”

Led by the ACLU, America’s culture war is being driven from the “left,” which is attempting to remove God from almost every aspect of our national life, from our currency to Christmas, including any mention of God or display of Christian belief, such as crèches, in our schools, courts, municipal buildings and on public property, even “Seasons Greetings” in stores, literally just about everywhere and anywhere in American society.

Their argument is predicated on the notion that it is offensive to people who do not believe in GOD, no matter how few or how many complainants there are. Sometimes “people” means only one person, who may object to what they perceive as religious indoctrination where none exists.

For the record, I am not a Christian and I do not attend any church, and I cannot recall a single instance in my life (of 79 years) when I was offended or harmed in any way by public expressions of Christian religious belief or simply an acknowledgement of God.

I have never had any problem maintaining a moment of silence when prayers are said in my presence. I recall that prayer was always an integral part of graduation exercises and various assemblies when I was in high school during the 1940s. Never, even for a fleeting instant, did I have a sense that I was being proselytized or criticized for my own beliefs at the time, and I still feel the same way. Today, whenever I attend a gathering where prayers are offered, such as a memorial service or a meeting of some group, I have no problem accepting prayers as the honest expression of the beliefs of others by joining them in a moment of silence during the observance of their faith.

What’s the big deal? Have we now reached the point where anti-religious expression has become the very thing that the opponents of religion claim they are trying to prevent – that is, forcing or pressuring people to believe as they do, which in this instance is not believing in anything. So, from the fear of pressuring people to accept religion, have we now moved to the strange position of trying to pressure or force them to believe in nothing?

In the opinion of at least this one non-Christian, the entire effort to remove all expressions of religious belief from the public square is just another form of prejudice. I say, “Get a life.” This is more than just political correctness run amuck. It is utter nonsense, pure B.S.

The question is, “Why do we tolerate it?” Fifty or 60 years ago, such complaints would have been rejected out of hand. And, attempts by non-believers to force others to accept their ideas and to prevent the overwhelming majority of the population from publicly expressing their values or recognizing them in our institutions would not have been tolerated. Not only would they have been tuned out, they would have been shut down by both the general population and the courts. Today, around 85% of Americans believe in God, yet they are strangely unable or unwilling to stand up to the vocal minority that is trying to undermine the very beliefs and values of the overwhelming majority.

For example, how is it possible to remove “Christmas” from the Christmas Holiday (vacation) in the schools? The idea that it should renamed “Winter Break” to avoid offending even a single person defies all logic. Were it not for Christmas, there would be no Christmas vacation, and therefore there would be no Winter Break.

As for the courts, the underlying foundation of our laws is the Ten Commandments, which cannot be removed from our courts and all public life without undermining our entire judicial system. One does not have to be a Christian to know that without the presence of any religious values and the teaching of right and wrong in our schools, we have substantially abandoned our young people to the lure of license without responsibility. We could do a lot worse than introducing a little active involvement of God back into our classrooms, even for those of us who are not Christians.

Many of those parents who disagree with the current policies of liberal indoctrination that pervade our schools today feel they are being forced to home school their children in order to instill the values they consider important. But, perhaps they should be standing up to educators and school boards and putting the vocal minority in the position of having to home school their own children instead. A little poetic justice might go a long way to help heal the rift that is currently being caused by the minority constantly attacking the majority’s beliefs and values.

The proliferation of ethics courses currently being required by the professions, such as accounting and law, gives testimony to the fact that too many of our young people are now reaching their majority without the moral foundation that schools helped teach in the past, which was historically based on religious values. I’ll take the teachings of education with God involved rather than the lack of ethics and morality that pervade our schools today without God, notwithstanding the fact that I am not a Christian.

There are those who argue that even the slightest amount of religious expression in the schools is tantamount to opening the door to religious indoctrination and persecution of those who don’t agree with the values of the majority. Can it be that, all of a sudden, Christian and Judeo values have become a threat to the rest of American society?

The very idea that some people are free to publicly make even the most dishonest, vicious and hurtful statements about others in any venue, including the schools, by claiming the protection of the First Amendment, while at the same time attempting to deprive the majority of their right to speak openly about their own beliefs in the same venues, is not only illogical, but is the height of hypocrisy. It’s no wonder we are so confused.