I love to sing. I’m not particularly good at it, but that doesn’t stop me. My favorite place to sing is from a mountaintop; the song of choice, “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee.” I’ve belted it out from Baxter Peak, Goose Eye, Sugarloaf, Old Speck, Tumbledown and a host of others. Because I live in the United States of America, I have the freedom to do this without fear of incarceration (although, if Simon Cowell’s lurking somewhere nearby, he might call it horrible karaoke worthy of imprisonment).

Psalm 33:12 says, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD.” And what a nation this is, “under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” But this phrase has sparked some controversy, which raises the question, “Are we, as a nation, indivisible?”

John Adams, in an address to military leaders, said, ‘We have no government armed with the power capable of contending with human passions, unbridled by morality and true religion. Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

How our personal and national definitions of morality and faith have changed since then. In the 1960s, prayer and Bible reading were outlawed in schools; in 1980, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of removing the Ten Commandments as well. “Posting of religious texts on the wall serves no such educational function. If the posted copies of the Ten Commandments are to have any effect at all, it will be to induce the schoolchildren to read, meditate upon, perhaps to venerate and obey, the Commandments.”

Our children are bombarded on all sides by a Hollywood-ized version of life, full of violence and antiheroes, and we’re concerned about their exposure to a moral code they pass in the hall, that may require them to think for themselves?

I’ve never understood the great debate of separation of church and state. Isn’t that why the pilgrims left Mother England, to live in a place where they could have religious freedom? There’s nothing that says you must worship God; but you have the right to do so, or not to do so. Is this controversial, or constitutional?

“The Christian religion is the religion of our country. … On its doctrines are founded the peculiarities of our free institutions. From no source has the author drawn more conspicuously than from the sacred Scriptures. From all these extracts from the Bible, I make no apology.” (William Holmes McGuffey, McGuffey Readers; from wikipedia.com)

I just visited the field of flags in Lubec, and returned humbled in spirit. Ninety-eight flags are arranged in perfectly straight rows. The sound of them snapping in the breeze this morning brought tears to my eyes as I thought of the people in whose names these flags were flying.

Then I thought back to April, when an art student at the University of Maine in Farmington displayed five large flags along a university corridor floor, with several small handheld flags scattered nearby. The project was approved on the grounds of freedom of speech and expression.

She describes herself as “conservative, extremely patriotic and coming from a line of combat veterans.” Her objective was to get people to think about how they felt about the flag when faced with either walking over or around one placed on the ground; she stands by her project.

So Maine made the national news. I understand most people walked around the displays, but the picture that made the headlines featured a young man striding across one of the flags. What would you have done?

The Web site www.usflag.org lists proper flag etiquette under “Standards of Respect.” (Placing them on the floor and walking on them isn’t recommended.) Granted, because of our liberty, everyone has the right to free speech (which makes this column possible, thank you very much).

In a link to the Flag Page Visitors, David Galanter writes, “Our flag is a symbol of that liberty, and in fact is a symbol of our right to burn it if we see fit. If a law is passed which says I can’t, I’ll be the first one taking a match to the stars and stripes. How could I despoil that which I love? Because nothing could possibly desecrate that symbol more than a law which contradicts everything for which it stands.”

I agree with Mr. Galanter. I just wonder why anyone would want to disrespect our flag. To do so is to disrespect themselves.

May we never abuse this precious right. The next time you have the opportunity, I hope you’ll salute the flag, thank a veteran and sing a patriotic song at the top of your lungs. Long live freedom of speech. God Bless America.

Brenda J. Norris is assistant Sunday school leader and choir director at the West Lubec Methodist Church. She may be reached via bdnreligion@bangordailynews.net. Voices is a weekly commentary by Maine people who explore issues affecting spirituality and religious life.