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"Your mother needs to be protected so that she can enjoy her own particular faith free of impositons of all kinds from people of another faith."

Like atheism? Why does it seem to me that "non-practicing" Christians or Jews, actually atheists, along with avowed atheists lead the charge to push the Christian-Judeo religion out of the public forum? Nothing is removed without something else taking its place. In this case, the Christian religion is removed and the religion of atheism is installed. This is simply the evangelism of atheism, and woe to all who are a part of this success. We Christians are not to force our religion on atheists, only to share our faith with them, and move on if it is not accepted. I cannot say the same for atheists. (nor historically for the "Church")

I'm sorry you have the perception that I'm endorsing atheism over Christianity. Nothing could be further from my intent. And I would never advocate the removal of Christian words and ideals from the "public forum," where ideas and beliefs should forever be unfettered. I am simply asking government to make no law respecting an establishment of religion. I am advocating the absence of religion (or no religion) from the "governmental realm," which is an entirely different area than the "public forum."

To do otherwise would eventually lead to government endorsement of a particular Christian sect over another Christian sect, just like we had in pre-colonial, pre-Constitution America. The First Amendment wasn't demanded by the Colonies for no reason at all. They feared that the Federal Government would supplant their own state-supported religion (different Christian sects in different colonies-soon-to-be-states). So, many states remained sectarian (e.g. Connecticut citizens were taxed to pay for Congregationalist churches). Sadly, the Civil War taught everyone that the Bill of Rights (the first 10 amendments) should apply to the States as well, and the 14th Amendment was added. This eventually (by Supreme Court decisions over the ensuing years) came to mean that the freedoms encompassed in the Bill of Rights could not be restricted by State legislatures. The First Amendment was finally applied to the States, and governments at all levels were finally told to remain neutral in regard to religion.

Religion or non-religion has no place in the governmental arena.