America has celebrated itself as a basically religious nation of equality for all faiths and standards of living. The traditional description of the national way of life is “The American Dream.”

We understand this term to mean the opportunity and the reality of the people to achieve and live a “good life,” a job that supports them and their families, their own home, the ability to educate their children, a choice of their own church, or none, and an equal chance at all of the above.

We look at that description again: "The American Dream." Is that what it is...a dream? Is the American Dream imagination, something to wish, work and strive for but not to accomplish?

This American ideal is widely based on our promise of equality, an even playing field for all to achieve that dream. It is, of course, not a dream at all but a reality made of a lifetime of effort and struggle.

A new Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life looked at the American Dream from the perspective of religion and economics.

How do our Church and other religious brethren fare compared with others in our land of equality? What its survey found was that for the religious poor, African Americans and people of color, and other minorities, it is less of a Dream than a nightmare.

Leading the religious wealth was Reform Judaism with a majority of $75,000 a year, followed by Hindus and Conservative Jews. At the low end were Pentecost...Read More