It’s no surprise that I am highly opinionated. But sometimes, it’s good to point out one’s feelings on a matter. It’s healthy and it’s often called venting. Lately I’ve been venting a lot.

Here’s today’s latest.

Why is it that everyone has become so hyper-sensitive about religion these days? Everything has to be politically correct. We often tip-toe around things we truly mean in some half-hearted way so as not to offend anyone. Frankly, I’m tired of this sort of approach to faith. I’m also tired of people wanting to remove all symbols of faith and religion from the public realm. Religion is not something that one turns off when she steps out of her front door in the morning. To many people, it is the very fiber of their being and it is inextricably linked to who they are as a person. Why should they be required to silence that or to edit it out of their public lives?

Take the story of an Iowa prosecutor, Paul Crawford, who returned to court after a lunch recess with ashes on his forehead in honor of Ash Wednesday. Catholics get the sign of the cross in ashes marked on their foreheads as a remembrance that Lent is beginning and that humans are all sinners, made from dust and symbolizing that they will return to dust after death. The defense attorney, Aaron Hawbaker, (characteristically) objected to his ashes. He stated that jurors would be swayed for or against the prosecution because of the religious display.

Jurors would be swayed for or against the prosecution either way. That’s the nature of a trial. Regardless of that obvious point, would jurors be any more swayed if the prosecutor was a Muslim wearing the traditional garb? Certainly,the defense attorney would never think to object to that display of faith. Or what if the prosecutor returned with a yarmulke? Would the judge be swayed to order its removal?

Judge Michael Moon agreed with the defense and asked Crawford to remove the ashes.

First, I think the damage was done. The jurors had already seen the mark and whatever their feelings were about the ashes before were only increased after the charade with the defense attorney regarding their removal.

People who champion the separation of church and state are unclear on the issue and call the matter “a gray area.” There seems to be no gray area here.

In court, witnesses are sworn in on a Bible and profess that they will be truthful “so help them God.” We have not removed the Bible or the language of God from court proceedings so it makes sense that we would not require the removal of something as innocuous as a cross on one’s forehead on a holy day for a member of that faith.

In this instance and in others, it seems that we have gone too far in trying to be “politically correct” and have become simply religious.

If I was in the prosecutor’s position, I would bring a suit for violating my right to free speech in this instance. That would really give the defense attorney something to object about!