TruthBook Religious News Blog

Posted on Thursday, 28 of August , 2008

INSIDE THE FIRST AMENDMENT
By Charles C. Haynes

First Amendment Center

Like red, white and blue bunting, pastors and prayers have been prominently displayed in Denver at the Democratic National Convention – as they will be in St. Paul for the GOP.

Much of the appeal to God from political podiums is no doubt sincere. After all, most Americans are religious people who expect political gatherings to have invocations, benedictions and a fair amount of God-talk in between.

But beyond the benign rituals of civil religion, the mixture of God and politics in America can be a volatile brew, often poisoning the body politic with charges and counter-charges about which party is religion-friendly – and which candidate is a true Christian.

From Mitt Romney’s church to Barack Obama’s pastor, this year’s presidential race has been marked by some of the ugliest debates about religion in living memory. And all of the leading candidates have scrambled to reassure the so-called “values voters” that they are on God’s side.

It’s no accident that the first joint appearance of Obama and John McCain was held in a megachurch and moderated by an evangelical pastor asking questions about what it means to be a Christian.

Until now, at least, most Americans have voiced support for mixing God and politics. According to polls taken over the past 10 years by the Pew Research Center, a majority of Americans have favored the idea of churches’ speaking out on social and political issues.

Now the pendulum is moving the other way. In a survey released by Pew last week, a majority (52 percent) now want churches to keep out of politics.

Here’s the surprising part: The greatest shift in opinion has occurred among conservatives. Four years ago a mere 30 percent of conservatives said churches should stay out of politics. Today, fully half of conservatives feel that way.

It’s not just conservatives generally, but social conservatives in particular who are re-thinking the role of churches in the political arena. In 2004, for example, only 25 percent of people who rated gay marriage as a top voting issue said churches should stay out of politics. Today, that percentage has risen to 50 percent.

While the causes of this discontent may be hard to pin down, I suspect that much of the shift in opinion is rooted in disillusionment with the political process. The strategy of some evangelical leaders to ally churches with the Republican Party hasn’t paid off. The same might be said of African-American churches aligned with the Democratic Party.

For some Americans, of course, any involvement of churches in politics is too much. On a billboard near the Denver convention, the Freedom From Religion Foundation proclaims: “Keep Religion Out of Politics.”

But for most Christians and for many others, faith by definition requires political involvement of some kind. Contrary to the freedom-from-religion crowd, the First Amendment doesn’t bar religion from politics. It protects the right of houses of worship to speak out on the public-policy issues of the day.

Pollsters may be asking the wrong question. It isn’t “Should churches keep out of politics?” but rather, “How should churches engage in politics?”

The “how” question is best answered when churches keep an arm’s length from political parties and partisan rhetoric – and instead focus on proclaiming a prophetic vision of the kind of society they believe God requires.

As Martin Luther King put it: “The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state, never its tool.” 8-28-08

Labels: Charles C. Haynes, church, First Amendment Center, politics, religion

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Thursday, January 17, 2008

U.S. religious freedom is being eroded, advocates say

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Misconceptions and ignorance are weakening the Constitution's 'first freedom.'
By Jane Lampman | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
from the January 16, 2008 edition

Reporter Jane Lampman talks about the First Freedom Awards.They are heroes in a battle most Americans think has already been won. On Wednesday evening, they are to be honored for their contributions to strengthening religious freedom at home and abroad.

Although the US is home to the greatest experiment in religious freedom ever, and the great majority of Americans support that principle, surprising gaps in knowledge and understanding remain when it comes to practicing that freedom. And support for it seems to rise and fall.

Only a slim majority (56 percent) of Americans said in a 2007 survey that freedom of worship should extend to people of all religious groups, no matter what their beliefs (down 16 points, from 72 percent in 2000).

"A great many Americans don't define religious liberty as a universal right for everyone," says Charles Haynes, one of the honorees. He is senior scholar at Freedom Forum's First Amendment Center, which conducted the survey.

At the same time, others see a weakening in federal courts in recent years of the First Amendment provisions relating to religion, a development that could endanger the rights of minority faiths.

Freedom weaker, now

"It's a disquieting fact that the First Amendment clauses are now very weak provisions, not giving the robust protection ... that historically and for much of the 20th century they did provide," says John Witte, professor of law and religion at Emory University in Atlanta and another of the honorees.

In an era when the US is promoting democracy and freedom of conscience around the world, such knowledgeable people say, it's crucial to get the experiment right here at home.

One organization seeking to boost understanding and respect for this fundamental freedom is the Council for America's First Freedom, based in Richmond, Va. The council sponsors a variety of public education programs, including a nationwide high-school essay competition.

And each year on Jan. 16 – the date in 1786 when Virginia passed the nation's first law guaranteeing religious liberty – the council hands out First Freedom Awards to individuals whose actions have made a significant difference. The three 2008 recipients have advanced religious freedom domestically and internationally:

• For two decades, Dr. Haynes of the First Amendment Center has helped local school districts and communities across the US find common ground to resolve conflicts over religion and values. He recently helped the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe draft guidelines for the study of religions in European classrooms.

• Mr. Witte, director of Emory University's Center for the Study of Law and Religion, has led major global projects related to religion and human rights among scholars from the major faiths; the projects have broken new ground on key issues.

Labels: Center for the Study of Law and Religion, Christianity, faith, first amendment, First Amendment Center, First Freedom Awards, Jane Lampman, religion, religious freedom, Unites States

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Thursday, October 18, 2007

Study shows Americans want theocracy, not democracy

Rebecca Mahfouz
Issue date: 10/16/07

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The First Amendment Center released the dismal results of its yearly "State of the First Amendment" survey last month, revealing that Americans' ignorance of their Constitution surpasses even their notorious ignorance of geography.

An astonishing 65 percent of those surveyed believe the founders intended America as a Christian nation, while 55 percent believe that the Constitution explicitly establishes America as a Christian nation. Fifty-eight percent think that teachers should be allowed to lead prayers in public school and a terrifying 50 percent believe the Bible should be taught as a factual text in public schools.

A small bright spot appeared among the disheartening results, as 97 percent said that the right to practice one's own religion was "essential." That tiny candle of hope was extinguished by the results of the next question, wherein just 56 percent agreed that the right to worship applies to all religious groups, meaning that a good number of the 97 percent who purport to believe in freedom of religion really mean freedom to practice their religion and no other.

As though any further proof were needed that we have failed miserably in the area of education, those surveyed seemed never to have been required to take a high school civics course. When they were asked to name the five freedoms guaranteed in the Constitution, just 3 percent were able to name the right to petition, 16 percent the freedoms of press and assembly, 19 percent freedom of religion and 64 percent freedom of speech.

One can cling to the belief that this survey is a fluke, that Americans can't possibly be so ill-informed of their essential liberties, especially given the increasing curtailment of those liberties. The results of the survey, however, have been fairly consistent over the past 10 years, exposing us for the hypocrites we are.

Labels: America, Christianity, First Amendment Center, Rebecca Mahfouz, religion, US Constitution

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Thursday, October 04, 2007

Fear Of Religious Litmus Test Rising

McCain’s ‘Christian nation’ comments spark new concern about growing role of religion in the ’08 campaign.

James D. Besser - Washington Correspondent

The prospects for deep religious polarization in the 2008 election took a quantum leap this week in the wake of comments by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) that the Constitution created America as a “Christian” nation — and the rousing defense of his comments by some Christian groups.

McCain’s comments, which produced sharp rebukes from several major Jewish groups, echoed views expressed in a recent survey conducted by the First Amendment Center, in which 65 percent of respondents said the nation’s founders intended the U.S. to be a Christian nation — and 55 percent said that view was enshrined in the Constitution.

The upping of the religious ante in the 2008 campaign also includes a growing rebellion by prominent Christian conservatives against GOP frontrunner Rudolph Giuliani and their threat to back a third-party candidate who meets their religious standards.

And it comes amid continuing questions about whether former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith will be a deal-breaker with many Evangelical voters, and as questions persist about the “Christian nation” views of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, the emerging dark horse in the Republican ranks. It also comes as anxious Democrats ramp up their own religious campaigns, with more detailed discussions of the role of faith in their own lives.

All of that, some Jewish leaders worry, is pushing the nation toward the de facto establishment of a religious test for high office.

Earlier in the interview, he stressed his view that the “No. 1 issue people should make [in selecting a president] is, ‘will this person carry on in the Judeo-Christian principled tradition that has made this nation the greatest experiment in the history of mankind?’”

But his unambiguous agreement that the Constitution established a Christian nation stirred the most debate.

But some Christian groups praised McCain’s original comments – and said they could help in a presidential campaign that has been met with skepticism by evangelical voters and leaders.

But a leading Jewish Republican and McCain supporter said it was all a matter of interpretation.

The Republican Jewish Coalition offered only the faintest criticism of McCain’s comments.

Political analysts were divided on whether McCain’s comments were a verbal misfire or part of a conscious political strategy meant to revive his once-front running campaign. But many speculated that the upcoming South Carolina primary has a lot to do with it.

The 2008 presidential race took on even more of a religious charge this week with reports that leading Christian conservatives, including Focus on the Family leader James Dobson, met over the weekend and discussed the possibility of supporting a third-party candidacy because of their dissatisfaction with the current GOP field, and Giuliani in particular.

But Giuliani, according to recent polls, is running strongly among Evangelical voters despite his three marriages and his relatively moderate positions on gay rights and abortion — a trend political experts attribute to his strong image on terrorism and security.

The likeliest recipients of support from the angry Evangelical leaders, he said, is Huckabee, a Southern Baptist preacher, or Romney, who continues to work to combat the view among many Evangelicals that his Mormonism is a dangerous sect.

Labels: Christian, First Amendment Center, James D. Besser, Jewish, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Mormonism, religion, Rudolph Giuliani

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Thursday, September 27, 2007

Survey: U.S. to be 'Christian nation'

USNewswire

A recent survey found that 65 percent of Americans believe that the nation's founders intended the U.S. to be a Christian nation and 55 percent believe that the Constitution establishes a Christian nation, according to the "State of the First Amendment 2007" national survey released this month by the First Amendment Center.

The 11th annual survey also found:

Ninety-seven percent deemed the right to practice one's own religion essential or important.

Ninety-eight percent deemed the right "to speak freely about whatever you want" essential or important.

Seventy-four percent of Republicans endorse the notion of a constitutional provision for a Christian nation; 50 percent of Democrats and 47 percent of independent voters agree.

Fifty-eight percent of respondents support teacher-led prayers.

Fifty percent would allow schools to teach the Bible as a factual text in a history class.

The telephone survey of 1,003 respondents was conducted between Aug. 16 and 26. Sampling error is plus-or-minus 3.2 percent.

Labels: Bible, Christian, First Amendment Center, prayer, religion, survey

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Friday, September 14, 2007

Don't know much about basic freedoms

9/14/2007 5:56:18 AM
Daily Journal

BY ERROL CASTENS
Daily Journal Oxford Bureau

OXFORD - Americans claim to treasure their freedoms, but most of us don't know what they are.

A survey released Wednesday by the Washington- and Nashville-based First Amendment Center shows few can even name all the freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Sixty-four percent of respondents could name freedom of speech, but only 19 percent named freedom of religion. Freedom of the press and the right of assembly each were named by just 16 percent of respondents, and only 3 percent could recall the right to petition the government.

Fudging on the freedoms

Gene Policinski, vice president and executive director of the First Amendment Center, presented the results of the organization's survey Thursday to students, faculty members and professional journalists at Ole Miss.

More than 25 percent said freedom of religion was never intended to extend "to religious groups that the majority of the people consider extreme or on the fringe." Policinski reminded the audience that at different times in American history, both Roman Catholics and Baptists were considered "on the fringe."

"When we begin to marginalize religion, it does harm to what I think the Constitution provides," he said.

Labels: Errol Castens, First Amendment Center, religious freedom, US Constitution