Guest Opinion by Rachelle Ottosen, Chair of the Community Library Network Board of Trustees
A trustee mentioned God’s love for everyone and quoted a few biblical verses at the governmental (gasp!) Community Library Network (CLN) meeting on October 17.
Some claim the trustee violated the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and “the separation of church and state.” They also postulated that our Founding Fathers intended to establish a secular government. I would like to address these points.
The First Amendment regarding religion: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”
- Is CLN the same as Congress?
- Did CLN make law?
- Did CLN establish a religion?
- Are critics trying to prohibit the free exercise of religion by proclaiming that trustees are not allowed to mention God’s love or Bible verses?
Yes, to number four; but, the naysayers aren’t Congress or making a law, so it is irrelevant. The answer to the first three is, obviously, no.
The current societal understanding of “separation of church and state” is a false narrative that has been pushed the last half century. It is not found in the U.S. Constitution, The Declaration of Independence, or any other federal government document. The term comes from an 1802 letter by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptists, assuring them they were protected from government interference in living out their religion as there was an effectual wall of separation protecting church from the government (not the other way around).
Jefferson’s phrase was never meant to disclude religious speech, even in government. Quite the opposite in fact. Even the less religious Founders quoted scripture and religious principles regularly (read their original words, not someone else’s interpretation of what they said) in their government writings, debates, and decisions, because they knew that only a moral and religious people could be governed by the U.S. Constitution and have liberty. People who exercise self-restraint and goodness may live in freedom, but corrupt people destroy liberty by requiring an increasingly punitive government.
The Lemon v. Kurtzman (SCOTUS 1971, lemon test) case unjustly encouraged violation of much of our First Amendment rights to religion and the free exercise thereof. However, the recent Coach Kennedy SCOTUS decision restores a better understanding of what our Founding Fathers intended; free speech for all, religious or secular, particularly unpopular speech since popular speech needs no protection. Government shall not interfere in our religious exercise or freedom of speech, so long as it is not actually harmful; like causing a stampede in a crowd by yelling “fire” not merely that someone lacks maturity and civility to handle viewpoints expressed by others.
The Bible was the most quoted source in the formation of the U.S. Constitution. The Founders discerned enduring principles of best government from the Bible and wrote them into the Constitution. Though I wouldn’t want to constrain anyone’s conscience to the Bible only, it is a huge and vital part of the history and guidance of our country, including governance.
Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.
President George Washington, 1796 (emphasis mine)
Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.
John Adams, Second U.S. President
The Bible is the rock on which this Republic rests.
Andrew Jackson, Seventh U.S. President (grew up in the Founding era)
Does this sound like the Founders of our Nation intended to establish a religion-free and/or Bible-free government?
To conclude, our Founding Fathers intended that religious expression should be encouraged, not suppressed or persecuted, even in official government proceedings. Read the records of what they said and did in their government and private capacities and you will see. The U.S. Constitution, First Amendment, and “separation of church and state” were not violated in the October 17 CLN meeting.
