In the evolution of a species, the greater the initial pool of genetic material, the more successful the end result. The process of evolution will cull the characteristics that don’t support life, while supporting those that do. The more options that process has, the greater the end outcome will be for the species.

The evolution of an idea is no different. Greater pools of ideas, and the freedom to express them, will result in more successful ideas that support life. Ideas that provide results, will thrive. Eventually the most workable ideas will become the dominant understanding. This is the entire basis for our current scientific understanding. As new ideas are submitted, their ability to provide predictable results, is the basis for their acceptance as a working theory. As more ideas are introduced, the evolution of our understanding, continues.

The melting pot of early America provided the perfect environment for the evolution of new ideas. The freedom of this frontier nation, blended with new ideas about governance. These ideas birthed a nation founded on new principles.

The success of democracy is a testament to the success of the idea of self-governance. The idea spread like a virus across the globe. A new idea of the structure and purpose of government, proved itself to be more be more supportive of life, and became the dominant thought paradigm of society.

That has often been touted as America’s finest contribution to the world. But there is another idea growing in the melting pot of our society. Another evolution is under way. When the founding fathers established the basis for American Democracy, they did something that no one had done before: they decoupled religion and government.

This separation of church and state, didn’t just provide the world with a new idea of “state”, it provided us with the perfect environment in which a new idea of “church” could evolve.

In the time line of religions, this really is still the New World. The Catholic church has been in place since Rome. The Old World is still dominated in theology by the old institutions. The available pool of ideas in those societies dried up long ago. There hasn’t been a new religious paradigm in Europe since Martin Luther nailed his letter to a church door in 1517 and sparked the Reformation.

Ideas in other parts of the globe are even older. Islam is still split over ideas of authority that go back to the death of Muhammad. Dominant thought paradigms in Asia, like Buddhism, were established at least a millennium before Christ walked the earth.

In this, America is still very much the New World. The religious freedom of America has already created a variety of new religions spreading across the globe. Baptists, Pentecostals, Mormons, Snake Handlers, etc. Americans have contemporized reinvigorated, and subverted religions the world over. From bastardizing Native American spiritual traditions, to re-examining Zen Buddhism, or adapting Yoga, America has changed the way we look at religion, spirituality, and God.

In this melting pot of thought, we have the basis, the freedom, and hopefully the courage to rethink what we think. In the end, it will be the ideas that most benefit life which will survive. It cannot happen any other way. This is the evolution of and idea in action.