I gotta' laugh.
This poll, conducted by the Anti-Defamation League, reveals American attitudes about the role of religion in the public square that are anything but what the ADL wanted to find.
For instance, the poll found that 64% of the American people believe that religion is "under attack" in our nation; 53% believe that religion as a whole is "losing its influence in American life;" 47% desire organized prayer in public school; 56% think creationism should be taught alongside evolution in the government schools; and 64% want religious symbols such as the Ten Commandments displayed in public buildings.
Yipes! This was bad news to the largely anti-religion Anti-Defamation League who immediately proceeded to distort the meaning of their own poll -- when they weren't simply ignoring its findings altogether!
"The findings suggest that American public opinion is starkly divided when it comes to the role of religion in the public square, and that our nation's proud tradition of church-state separation is threatened as never before," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. "Unfortunately, too many people believe that religion is under attack in America, when in fact according to all measurements, religion is stronger in the United States than in any other Western country."
The survey comes at a time when ADL has begun questioning the role of some on the religious right in seeking to impose their beliefs in the public square while attempting to throw out the constitutional balance that protects our nation's religious freedom.