Or to thine own self be true . Oh hey, I don't know who wrote it, but it fits.

Today it seems old-fashioned to say, "Oh Dear God, I hope so and so is all right," or "Why in the name of God did I do that?" when you make a serious mistake. People either snicker behind your back or tell you to get with it. This is not today's terminology.



Today it seems anything spoken with the the word 'God' or 'Lord' in it--whatever your religious preference is--has to have a curse in it or it ain't cool. How about, "Jesus F----g Christ," which seems to be the latest blasphemy spoken by the in crowd and one that makes me stick to my stomach. Most believe it shows their cool when in reality it shows their lack of religious education and their ignorance. If they knew what He suffered for us, they'd hardly be cursing His name.



Then too, a lot of these dullards today who are trying so hard to keep on top truly believe there's time enough to get religion when they're old. The problem is they don't read the papers and don't realize that death ain't choosy--it takes you whenever it wants to, not when you feel you're ready.



Or how about the other side of the in crowd who constantly discuss their 'creator'. You know, kids, this ain't 2001 A Space Odyssey where Kubrick's Hal 9000 was constantly talking to his creator. This is real life. If you're afraid to call your God by whatever name He possesses in your religion then give it up and don't talk about Him at all. And certainly not in the negative.



You know, we have long ago reached the point where the lack of prayers in school can no longer be blamed for the religious ignorance of today's youth. And besides, a prayer a day hardly reaches the totality of an hour a day spent in religious training if only to show kids right from wrong and what should be praised, and not in cuss words. This is where parents and caregivers come in.



Last week my heart broke when a 10-year old family member told me about nightmares she'd been having and she was afraid to go to sleep. I told her to pray to God to watch over her when she slept and she'd be safe. Her answer: "I don't know how to pray." I taught her how. And it took me all of ten minutes to instill the words in her heart and mind. She was aware of God, but didn't know how to talk to him. I told her to talk to him as I'm talking to her. Just say it. Don't fumble for impressive dialogue. He's your Father. Plain talk is enough.



I think we've gone too far over the edge in passing the blame for religious ignorance in this country today. I think it's time we turned back to nightly chats with the kids. Even if you don't wish to go into a religious dissertation, delve into their problems and handle them as someone with God in their heart would. In other words, talk the talk as your kids understand it.