Over Thanksgiving weekend, I was privy to a discussion for the ages, literally speaking. My grandmother, mother and I were having a discussion on a delicate topic, to borrow from the Herald's introductory column for the week.

Our discussion led us from religion in our public schools to being bombarded with "Merry Christmas" wishes while shopping for the holidays, and we finally were able to come to a universal truth: We are a secular nation for a reason.

The initial rift among the three of us was larger than I had expected. All of us had distinctly different religious views, distinctly different views on how religion should work with government and — more divisive still — different views on how big of a deal all of this was in the first place.

It was this disagreement, however, the fact that we all believed different versions of a similar story that ironically drove us to accept one truth: that our nation's true foundations were, and should be, secular.

These differences are the highlights, the drawbacks and the benefits, all the same, of diversity. Diversity is, regardless of how one values it, a symbolic representation of modernity and representative of the ability of our government to adapt.

Our forefathers did not confront diversity anywhere near that which we have today. Their diversity battles came over political opinion or, at worst, the latest emigres from Europe causing a stir. Ascribing tolerance of many differing views to the Founders would be, in sum, a mistake.

In fact, the forefathers showed, if anything, they were averse to encountering the diversity we have today, and if you need the proof just ask any American Indian tribal survivors or blacks how receptive the forefathers and our ancestors were to them.

Which is precisely why when we engage in discussions about our country being a Christian nation, I fear what that statement might mean. Certainly, many of our forefathers were Christian, many of the first Americans were Christian, and even our laws are based, in part, on religious doctrine.

But, parts don't necessarily make a whole.

Our country's Constitution and constitutional history evoke tolerance of differences, even if its writers did not. The First Amendment as drafted sought to eliminate government control over religion and prevent government from endorsing or establishing official state religions.

Throughout its history, our country has eventually embraced different religious beliefs for their value and welcomed new religious, racial and ethnic minorities. Our society asks of minorities to assimilate to core foundations of American life, but not forget their past and culture. Rather, we ask them to contribute and continue their traditions here, amalgamating them into the vastness of American culture.

This tradition has become the embodiment of the First Amendment, to ensure that diversity of opinion remained strong enough to encourage change when necessary, and isn't that the biggest strength of this land? We change, we adapt and we learn to adjust our lives to newcomers, and newcomers learn to do the same.

After all, America would not be what it is without change, which is precisely why the logic behind suggesting America being a Christian nation simply does not make sense. After 220 years, we have changed — we are not the same society. We have diversity around us in ways that 1780s' America could never have imagined. Relying upon their vision of America does not follow given the diversity we encounter today.

There are issues today that simply were not foreseen. We now ask if one belongs to a religion, not which denomination. We now ask whether one goes to church, not which one. We now ask if one believes in a Supreme Being, not which one.

The questions foreseen are not the same, but, remarkably, the breadth of our Constitution accommodates this change. Some 220 years later, the First Amendment is remarkably modern, adjusting and adapting to our ever-changing society. But, what is anything but modern is the notion that America is an exclusively Christian nation.

The idea of a Christian nation simply does not belong in a society like ours today because of its impracticability in a country where diversity is as pronounced as it is here.

We need to be more open to ideas and religious beliefs, which means that a secular nation — accommodating of religious beliefs, including Christianity but not excluding others — is exactly what we need.

And, if my discussions with my family prove meaningful at all, it is the only thing we can truly agree upon anyway.

Robert Phansalkar ([email protected]) is a first-year law student.