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Dear Father Paul

Dear Father Paul: What do you think about the separation of church and state? Hub, Fayetteville.

Dear Hub: This is one of the most heated issues of our time and some people have some pretty extreme views. Not a few people take the position that the government should have absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with religion...no Christmas as a government holiday, no "in God we trust" on our money, etc. while others would like to see state sanctioned prayer in our classrooms. While Jesus' last will and testament (the New Testament) contains many laws and regulations, they are not structured for national or governmental observance. Civil law, as set forth in the New Testament, is seen as separate and independent from the Church. See Romans 13: 1 - 7. Jesus himself settled this question when he said in Matthew 22: 21, "Give to Caesar (the government) what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." While conceding the separation of church and state, the following needs to be said. America was founded upon Biblical principles, and anybody who denies that just doesn't know his history. While seeking religious freedem from state religion, the founding fathers absolutely recognized the importance of God's spiritual laws and their influence in civil government. Many of our civil and criminal codes are taken directly from the Bible. Notwithstanding, church and state should be separately established and maintained.

Dear Father Paul: I hear so much profanity today. It bothers me. Where are we headed? Jenny, Fayetteville.

Dear Jenny: We are already there, and I fear it is the "language sewer." It bothers me too! We have, indeed, come a long, long way since Rhett Butler used the word "damn" in Gone With The Wind in 1939. This decline in language has cause a coarsening of our society. Profane speech didn't start in 1939, however. It is hundreds, perhaps thousands of years old. The New Testament condemns profane language in Ephesians 5: 4, so we know it was a problem as far back as Biblical times. In my view, the entertainment industry deserves most of the "credit" for the shameless corruption of our speech over the past fifty years or so. Movies and TV have gradually, over a number of years, desensitized all of us to accept language that we would have rejected just a few years ago as vile and foul. What's happened has been very slow and insideous...almost without our notice. I recently heard a child of about six use an expletive to her mother in a store. I was red faced, but mom said nothing to daughter. The answer, although it may be some time before we see it, is for America to return to God! Although that might sound like some kind of "preacher's pipe-dream," there is historical precedence for this and I believe that our nation is long past due for the kind of revival of spiritual values and Godliness that shook America in the late 19th and again in the early 20th centuries. God's word is clear...."let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good for the use of edifying, that it may minister grace to the hearers." Ephesians 4: 29.

Dear Father Paul: Most of the Christains I know are joyless and solemn. I thought Christians were supposed to be happy. Keith, Peachtree City.

Dear Keith: Christians are supposed to be the "happiest people on earth!" And if they aren't, or they are and don't show it, something is wrong. But, honestly, you aren't the first person who has raised this issue Keith. It is sometimes true that it is hard to tell the difference between Christians and non-Christians.and that is a huge shame. We Christians really do have something to be happy and joyous about and it should show on our face and in the way we treat and act around people. On the other hand, Christians face the same problems, frustrations and challenges that everyone else faces. These don't go away just because one becomes a believer. The problem is we Christians sometimes take our eyes and hearts off of Christ and his provision for us and that is when we lose our joy. Perhaps this is a good time for me to remind every Christian out there how important it is to show the joy of the Lord to everyone we meet. If you think people aren't watching you, think again.

Father Paul Massey will answer your questions and will pray for you. Write him at paulmassey@earthlink.net or P. O. Box 510, Fayetteville, GA 30214.