From KCRW in Santa Monica and PRI, Public Radio International, this is To the Point.

Church and State in 21st Century America.

Hello again, I'm Mormon Olney, and this is To the Point from Public Radio International.

A daily look at the issues Americans care about most.

The Constitution forbids any law to establish religion, and Thomas Jefferson called for a wall of

separation between church and state. But God is on American money in the Pledge of Allegiance.

And last year, Congress reaffirmed in God we trust as the national motto.

Americans have the right to practice any religion they want to,

but are these official references threatening the commitment to a secular government?

Do they imply this is a Christian nation,

or recognize that one God is as good as another in a country of many different faiths?

On reporter's notebook later on, President Obama and legalized marijuana.

First, here's the news.

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Hello again, Warren Olney, back with To the Point. America was founded as a secular country, but since the 1950s, God has become an

official presence in governmental affairs. How did that happen? Is it a threat to the founder's

promise to separate church and state? On reporter's notebook, recreational marijuana is now

legal in Colorado and Washington state. We'll hear what President Obama thinks about enforcing

federal prohibition. First, this

news update, there has been another school shooting, this time in the wooded suburbs near Danbury,

...