1st Grade Shame?

Little A is in 1st Grade.

A few days ago she had an embarrassing experience.  At circle time, the teacher asked, "Who do you depend on."

Little A raised her hand and said, "I depend on God."

As she told me this, snuggling in bed this morning, I said, "I depend on God, too."

"Well," she went on quietly, "then I felt embarrassed, because I was the only one who said it. We weren't in church."

I then had to explain to my SIX YEAR OLD that even though we know her teacher believes in God, she can't talk about it at school.

So, America.  

In a town that is 80% LDS, along with Jehovah's Witnesses, Catholics, Jews, Baptists, Protestants, etc...Where chances are high that EVERY single one of the little people in that classroom are religious, and would quickly raise their hands and say, "I depend on God" in Sunday School, somehow they have already received the message that this faith has to be contained.

At six years old, Little A has friends whose parents have abandoned or neglected them.  She is aware in her childish way of the unstable government and society around her.  

We're forcing our children to live in a world where sometimes it seems that they can't depend on anyone, and then giving them the message that the One they can always depend on must be exclusively spoken of in church. 

I'm not suggesting that we hand out bibles in school, but shouldn't it be ok to mention God, maybe just in passing, even?

She then came home a few days later and told me a very cute version of the story of Thanksgiving.  (The Pilgrims came from Egypt, by the way...)

But again, Thanksgiving was a day to thank the Indians for saving their lives.  
"Were they just thankful to the Native Americans?" I asked.

Yep.  'Cause even if it's a part of our history, we can't talk about or make a reference to God.

Russia just banned any missionary work.  The only time Russians may talk of religion is at church.  It is even banned in their homes.  We don't need laws like this in America, because PC laws do it for us.

I believe in religious freedom.  I believe in religious freedom for all.   This doesn't feel like religious freedom to me.  What are we so afraid of?