What Has Happened To Faith?

     I read a story on the internet the other day about a little boy who had an after-life experience.  Apparently, little Colton Burpo had emergency surgery for an appendicitis and during the operation his spirit slipped away and he went to heaven.  When Colton woke up and told his parents about what he had experienced they humored him, but when he started talking about things he couldn't know about like a miscarriage his mother had had and the great-grandfather who had passed away thirty years before Colton was born, they began to wonder. They have written a book about Colton's experience.
     Now, I have not read the book, so I don't know if it is believable or not, nor am I endorsing that anyone read it. What I wanted to talk about was the comments that some people posted about the story.  I expected people to question whether or not it was true or to share their own after-life experience, what I didn't expect was the level of hostility towards people with Christian beliefs.  Post after post were down right hostile.  A few people called the parents liars who were only trying to make a buck, even though I read they were only keeping a small portion of the money they made and were using the rest to help their small church. Others attributed the boy's story to religious brainwashing.  I mean really, if it was that easy to brainwash kids, mine would be more obedient and less smart mouthy.  It is open season on anyone of the Christian faith.
     Since when did it become a bad thing to try and instill in our children a sense of morality and values? What's wrong with being honest and hardworking?  These are just a few of the traits that I associate with being a Christian.  It is okay and politically correct to be an atheist, a Muslim, a pagan, a Wiccan, to practice voodoo or Santeria, but heaven help you if you are a Christian.
     We are being bullied into buying holiday trees instead of Christmas trees, and we can no longer have manger scenes on public property, Christmas vacation and Easter break are now called winter recess and spring recess.  I have read accounts of businesses that have been forced to take down any kind of reference to any religious holiday and have forbidden employees to wear Christian jewelery.   What is up with that?!
   Well guess what people, I am a Christian woman and I don't care who knows it. I want Christmas trees, I want Easter vacation and if other Christians want to wear cross earrings as a sign of their faith let them.
     I can't believe that our country has fallen so far so fast. Anything and every thing goes except displays of faith.  How did this happen?  Their was a time when people embraced Christianity because, no matter what denomination you were, it made you a better person.  Their were standards to uphold.  We have lost that.  After 9/11, folks rushed back to church, I think to try and make sense of what happened, to mourn together and to feel as if we weren't alone. Will it take another 9/11 to wake people up again, or maybe a natural disaster? I wonder what awaits us if we don't stop and reevaluate where our country is headed.