The question about the prayer in a college commencement program has recently gotten a lot of attention locally, by not only students and faculty but also the broader community. As for me, I'm happy to see it back in the program.

In the world today, almost 90 percent of the population believes in some kind of higher power. Most religions believe in one God or a Creator. I believe that almost all of us are praying to the same God; the only difference is in the terminology.

Even our United States Declaration of Independence states, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."

It seems obvious that organized religions were not created not by God but rather by people in order to separate us. More people have died in the name of God than for any other reason. Even as we speak, we are fighting religious wars in the Middle East -- Shiites vs. Sunnis, Islam vs. Christianity, Israel vs. Palestine.

Is this what God intended for us -- to fight among ourselves about trivial terms and history written by fallible men, which in many cases can't even be proven true. If Jesus, Mohammed and Buddha were sitting at a dinner table, how much fighting do you think would happen? I say none at all. Love is the basis for all these religions.

Jesus taught that we don't need a church, temple, mosque, monk, pastor, priest, etc., to be with God. S/He is all around us. And when someone has earned the title of president of college, that person gets the honor of choosing which words of worship will be spoken.

I will offer my prayers to any religion that shares my core values of Peace, Love and Coexistence. I'm just glad that God will be represented in some form at Commencement.

One Love, people.