We usually are at my wife’s parents’ place around July 4, and that means that when we go to church in that town, we generally are going to get a dose of “religious patriotism.” However, the service where we went today pretty much confirmed my worst fears.

No, there was not a color guard, nor Air Force jets flying over a cross, but nonetheless it was bad. We sang the usual “patriotic” hymns, and the prelude was “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” and you have to remember that the area where the church is located was devastated during the War Between the States by Sherman’s army.

However, the “sermon” was positively the worst sermon I ever had heard, as it celebrated the “liberation of Iraq” and other American wars, as well as blaming the “left” for all of our problems. The pastor received a standing ovation when it was over. Thank goodness, my children and my wife also were thoroughly disgusted by this display of idolatry.