I am a Christian. My family is Christian. My friends are Chrisitian.

Faith is all around me and has been since I was a little girl. 

I attended catholic grade school and high school and now attend a Chrisitian university. 

To say the least, faith is important to me. 

President Donald Trump’s State of the Union Address Tuesday, Feb. 4 discussed the importance of defending religious liberties; especially in public schools. 

He stated, “In America, we do not punish prayer. We do not tear down crosses. We do not ban symbols of faith. We do not muzzle preachers and pastors. In America, we celebrate faith. We cherish religion.”

Let those words sink in. 

“We do not punish prayer … we cherish religion.”

Numerous Christian leaders regarded this moment as historic. Vice President Mike Pence even told FoxNews, faith is one of the things that unites us, and I completely agree. 

I have never attended a public school, but I know what it feels like to be questioned for what you stand for. 

The fact is, in America, we should not be punished for our beliefs or scrutinized for who or what we choose to worship. It’s a constitutional right, outlined in the first amendment. So, why do people choose to scrutinize others on the basis of their beliefs? Why do we still have problems with antisemitism? 

It is because of religious imperialism … people think their beliefs are better than others. 

During a homily, a priest said you should never force someone to believe something just because you do. It’s simply not right. Your actions toward them can exemplify what you believe in; however, you should never figuratively throw a bible at them. 

This is what we need to do. Be kind to others and live out your faith because it’s extremely important to not only preach what you worship but live it, as well. 

Just think for a second… what if the first amendment didn’t exist? 

We would live in a world where you couldn’t preach scripture or openly talk about your beliefs with your friends. Life would be bland and you wouldn’t make the same connections you do with people now. 

So, why take other people’s religious freedoms away from them by forcing a different religion upon them and telling them they can’t practice their beliefs freely? It would suck, wouldn’t it. 

Even though Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi tore up President Trump’s speech in an act of anger, I believe this was one of the points that should not have been defaced. Trump is simply trying to defend the freedom that already exists. He is standing up for the one thing that unites us when everything else fails, faith. If you cannot practice your own faith openly then how can you have faith in our country?

In the words of President Trump, “we lift our voices in prayer, and we raise our sights to the glory of God!”