• Some see 4th as a religious holiday

Is July 4 a day to celebrate independence—or deliverance? Author Steven Waldman suggests that Americans treat Friday as a holy day of deliverance and reflect on the crusade for religious freedom that distinguishes our nation. "One of the real points of differentiation between us and other nations and other Western nations is our very unique approach to religious freedom," said Waldman, author of "Founding Faith," a book about the spiritual journeys that shaped the nation.