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Legislative News Hi ! In this issue, you'll read: When did we begin apologizing for our beliefs? Now the atheists are suing the Utah Highway Patrol for putting up crosses on the roadside for officers slain in the line of duty! The complaint is made in the pursuit of that so-called requisite constitutional separation of church and state. The plaintiffs, American Atheists, Inc., say this is a test case in Utah, and, if successful, they will go national. Where does this insanity stop? I say it must stop here. They (the ubiquitous "they," representing atheists and all other anti-religion individuals willing to take their cause to the courts) have gotten rid of prayer in schools, removed the "so help me God" and bible from court oaths, removed the ten commandments from courthouses and city parks, and are working on removing the "one nation under God" in the pledge of allegiance. Even without legal admonitions, in the name of political correctness, we now have the "winter holiday" instead of Christmas break, send cards that say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas," and avoid setting up a nativity scene when Santa Claus will do. Some schools even avoid red paper plates because they are too "Christmasy"! If taken to its logical conclusion, "they" will succeed in having our money re-issued without the "In God We Trust", disallowing prayer at the beginning of Congress and legislative sessions, and chiseling off the ten commandment tablets from the United States Supreme Court building. Don't be surprised if "they" demand a ruling that wearing a crucifix necklace or CTR ring is illegal. The French are already looking at it. "They" would argue that, whether or not God exists, "they" do not want to be forced to hear about, see, or be exposed to anything that suggests He does exist, or that anyone thinks he does, exist. Most people in this country believe in God or a higher power. Why do we have to pretend this is not so? I heard it best expressed the other day in a meeting when someone asked, "When did we begin apologizing for our beliefs?" We should not have to. The most disappointing thing about all of this is that the constitution does not demand a separation of church and state. Read it. This phrase actually came from a letter by Thomas Jefferson in the federalist papers. The constitution does have an "establishment clause," which provides that the government should not "establish" a religion, i.e. the government should not "establish" a church, which would preclude the public from believing and worshipping as they believed. The original purpose of the phrase was to protect the churches from the state, not the other way around. Remember, many of our founding fathers came here to escape religious persecution. They wanted freedom to practice their own religion and not be forced to practice the state religion of England, Holland, France or wherever. The founding generation did not want a "state" religion. That does not mean they did not want any religion. That does not mean they did not want a "nation under God". That does not mean they did not believe in God, or a higher power, if you will, and it certainly does not mean that they did not believe that any mention of God should be excluded from public life. This country was founded on Christian principles. Why are we afraid to acknowledge this? Why do we feel like we have to apologize for it? We can be tolerant of other beliefs, indeed true Christianity requires this. Such tolerance does not require that we ignore our own historical roots or traditions. Is mutual respect such a difficult concept that we must emasculate our own moral base in the name of political correctness? We are halfway down that "slippery slope," and I fear the crash when we reach its end. Lorie Fowlke
To messers Nehemiah Dodge, Ephraim Robbins, & Stephen S. Nelson, a committee of the Danbury Baptist association in the state of Connecticut. Gentlemen The affectionate sentiments of esteem & approbation which you are so good as to express towards me, on behalf of the Danbury Baptist association, give me the highest satisfaction. my duties dictate a faithful & zealous pursuit of the interests of my constituents, and, in proportion as they are persuaded of my fidelity to those duties, the discharge of them becomes more & more pleasing. Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man & his god, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;" thus building a wall of eternal separation between Church & State. Congress thus inhibited from acts respecting religion, and the Executive authorised only to execute their acts, I have refrained from prescribing even those occasional performances of devotion, practiced indeed by the Executive of another nation as the legal head of its church, but subject here, as religious exercises only to the voluntary regulations and discipline of each respective sect, [Jefferson first wrote: "confining myself therefore to the duties of my station, which are merely temporal, be assured that your religious rights shall never be infringed by any act of mine and that." These lines he crossed out and then wrote: "concurring with"; having crossed out these two words, he wrote: "Adhering to this great act of national legislation in behalf of the rights of conscience"; next he crossed out these words and wrote: "Adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience I shall see with friendly dispositions the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore to man all his natural rights, convinced that he has no natural rights in opposition to his social duties."] I reciprocate your kind prayers for the protection & blessing of the common father and creator of man, and tender you for yourselves & the Danbury Baptist [your religious] association assurances of my high respect & esteem. Th Jefferson |
