Every year, when the National Day of Prayer comes around, I’m distressed. I strongly believe in the separation of church and state as the best course for both and on this day especially I see the uncomfortable merging of the two.

Amazingly, this separation is said to be a Christian concept, according to Dinesh D’Souza’s book, “What’s so Great about Christianity!” In Roman times, people were required to worship the gods of the state and patriotism demanded sacrifice to these gods. Sounds familiar as Christian “values” continue to creep into American law lately under the guise of “religious freedom” while fear of Sharia law runs rampant against all reality.

When Christians refused to worship Roman gods, things started to change. Jesus, a Jew, clearly favored this separation because he’d seen what politicians had done to his religion by combining the two. Remember his turning over the tables of the money changers in the temple?

Our country’s founders were committed to ensuring a free republic, open to those of all religions and none. The constitution states, “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification for office.” That means that even if Obama had been a Muslim, it should have made no difference.

The Supreme Court has upheld this idea of separation repeatedly. Justice Hugo Black said, “In the words of Thomas Jefferson, the clause against establishment of religion by law was intended to erect a ‘wall of separation’ between church and state.”

I believe it’s arrogant for followers to think their religion is the only one that matters. It’s also offensive to many for government to start meetings with prayer. And to combine prayer with flag waving and military music is particularly troubling.

Losing sight of this separation is to lose sight of freedom and of Jesus himself. Beware!