Clinging to outdated concepts? please, elaborate. Religion is still a major part of world society today, and though many people only pay "lip service" to their eligion, there are some of us who still hold religion close and wholly believe in it (including myself). That is not to say that I believe in everything the Bible teaches, but its main moral code and its messege of hope is quite important to me. Separation of church and state? I would say nay, if we lived in a perfect world, but of course we do not, and thus there is discrepency in the matter; I cannot say either way. Religion and government can coexist in such a world as ours, but, what with the political correctness these days, no two cultures can live together, it seems. No one can see through another's eyes. If there is an equal balance of religious morality and political forsight, both can exist together. Upset the balance, and it all come crumbling down. And thus, the former situation cannot exist. There is prejudice in our world, whether one chooses to believe so or not. Racial, religious, sexual orientation, gender and other prejudices will remain for a long time to come, if they ever go away. Thus, an atheist may balk at a religious government, while a Christian may scream for the Church'spresence in school. Neither can exist happiliy in our society, and one may say it is a moot point. However, if one sees the commonality between religions (and even between religious and non-religious people), one can find that one can live happily without worrying about what religion "rules" one's country; you are your own person. Believe in what you believe, and do not care about what the government morally believes (within reason), for "in the end" only what you believe matters. Should there be manditory religious teaching in public institutions? No. Can there be voluntary prayer in the classroom? Yes. I go to a private Catholic high school. Even though I am not Catholic myself, I still have learned a lot from my religion courses. If anything, these courses have helped me in my life (to be able to find my place with myself), not hindered it. I mean not to say everyone should do this, but this has been my experience. Try experincing religion or non-religion from someone else's point of view. One will see that believe is in the eye of the believer and one can "deal" with the government, regardless of its religious affiliation.