Some people say I am not a real Christian because I respect the thoughts of other religions and atheists as equal to my own even in my sermons. Many come to our church and are disappointed not to hear the sense of Christian entitlement and the typical jargon which typifies much of what is called “faith.” But, as a Christian, I feel a duty to secularity.

Secularity was not born in this nation from a loss of faith. It was born out of the respect that one faith had for another. It was born of the realization that for my religion to be safe from other religions, they must also be safe from mine.

In my understanding of Christianity, “secularity” means obeying Christ’s command to love my neighbor. At the very least “love” means having the respect to allow my neighbor to see the world differently, and to live differently than I.

“Secularity” does not mean that we cannot bring our religion and values to the table, it just means that all voices must be equally audible, and not even one may be muffled. When people are afraid to be religious or irreligious in front of one another, I do not call that the “secular” but the “profane.”

Every religion has a duty to trim its sails out of respect for the other vessels that share the waters. For me, that is easy. I do not call myself “religious” because I belong to a particular sect, or believe a particular creed. I call myself “religious” because reverence is the fundamental fact of my life