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Rally Around The Wall: Pro-Separation Baptists Celebrate Religious Liberty
Posted by Beth on July 1, 2007
by guest blogger Jeremy Leaming The Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) shift to the far right is a familiar and disconcerting story. One of its most prominent voices, Richard Land, the SBC’s top lobbyist in Washington, is widely seen as an influential player into today’s Religious Right movement and a strident opponent of church-state separation. But the SBC does not speak for all Baptists. Baptist bodies in the United States are diverse, and even many Southern Baptists oppose the strident stands taken by Land. Early Friday morning on Capitol Hill, the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty emphasized that point with a rally for religious freedom. The committee’s gathering at Fountain Plaza, directly behind the U.S. Capitol, was a welcome reminder that many Baptists in America have a noble tradition of advocating for religious freedom for all, not just certain Christians. Today the Baptist Joint Committee highlighted George Washington Truett, an early 20th century Texas Baptist pastor and one-time president of the SBC, who in 1920 gave an address on the east steps of the Capitol before thousands of citizens on the importance of keeping government and religion separate to maintain religious liberty. At the rally, Baptist Joint Committee Executive Director Brent Walker and two of Congress’s most vigilant supporters of the separation of church and state, U.S. Reps. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) and Chet Edwards (D-Texas), gave resounding endorsements of that long-cherished and fundamental American principle. “Historically Baptists have had a hard time sticking together and some things have not changed much,” Walker noted to a rippling of chuckles throughout the gathering of about 100 people. “But one thing that does bind us, including the 14 Baptist bodies that comprise the Baptist Joint Committee, is a fervent dedication to defending and extending religious liberty, not just for ourselves, but for everyone. And to stand up and say that church-state separation is the best means we know of to ensure it.” Rep. Scott, who has long been a staunch and effective advocate on the Hill for church-state separation, took note of the hostile climate religious liberty faces due largely to the nation’s ongoing Religious Right movement. “Today religious liberty is in grave danger,” said Scott. “We’re in danger of religious majority trying to impose its views on others. For almost half a century, the line separating church and state has been fairly constant. But now there’s a major, but quiet, effort to move that line. And that campaign is deceptive, because many of the battles don’t seem to be very much of a big deal in-and-of-themselves, but the success of the campaign would change the principles and guidelines by which we measure church and state controversies.” Scott cited efforts in Congress to promote the phrase “under God” with resolutions and laws, and to institute officially backed mandatory prayer in the public schools. He also tagged the Bush administrations “so-called faith-based initiative” as likely “the most egregious examples of church-state separation challenges.” “We have challenges before us,” Scott told the gathering. “Be vigilant and continue to fight for what is right.” Rep Edwards, another of Congress’s more outspoken and eloquent voices in favor of church-state separation, expounded on the importance church-state separation to religious freedom. “We stand together today in the shadows of our nation’s capitol,” he noted. “Our capitol’s cornerstone was laid by George Washington in 1793, but its true foundation is our first freedom, the freedom of religion. It is that freedom enshrined in the first 16 words of our Bill of Rights, which stands as the pillar of all freedoms we cherish as Americans.” He praised Thomas Jefferson for his 1802 letter to the Danbury Baptists that “etched into the American conscience division of a scared wall of separation between church and state.” In 1920, Edwards continued “a Texas Baptist, George Truett, stood on the steps of our citadel of democracy and re-lit the torch of religious freedom for a new generation and a new century by reminding us that quote, ‘God wants free worshipers, and no other kind.’” Concluding his comments, Edwards urged the attendees to remain steadfast in their devotion to religious liberty, reminding them of the many politicians eager to chip away at the church-state wall. “Our religious freedom must be protected by the vision, efforts and sacrifice of each generation of Americans,” said Edwards. “For surely as the setting of the sun there are politicians in each generation who in the name of religion would do it great harm by tearing down the wall of separation between church and state. Human history has proven time and again, that politicians, with given the temptations, will fall sway to the siren song of using religion as a means to their own political ends. When that happens, the rights of religious minorities are diminished and religious liberty for all is put at risk.” The Baptist Joint Committee’s gathering was a refreshing reminder of the diversity of voices protecting and advocating for the First Amendment principle of church-state separation. Jeremy Leaming is a member of the communications department at Americans United for Separation of Church and State. First Freedom First is proud to take part in the Blog Against Theocracy blogswarm. The Jefferson Society | |
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