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God in the Public Square: the Hallelujah Choir Free Inquiry

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God in the Public Square: the Hallelujah Choir Free Inquiry God in the Public Square: The Hallelujah Choir EDITORIAL PAUL KURTZ ltimately, the 2000 presidential contest ended not in an election but a coronation. Al Gore carried the national popular vote ■ by over half a million and Washington, D.C.—except for the Supreme Court, which he lost free inquiry by one vote! Naderites claim that the nation is ruled by a Republicrat Party, and that there are no mean- ingful differences between the two major parties. Liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans dispute that, maintaining that there are sharp ideo- logical differences; in turn, many liberals blame Ralph Nader for spoiling Gore's chances for victory. George W. Bush has said that he wishes to work with all factions of the country and that continued heal- ing efforts will need to be exerted if we are to bring this nation together. Bipartisanship in the Congress is being hailed as a worthy step beyond "partisan pol- itics." We hope that this does not transform America into a one-party state—for dis- sent is the life-blood of a viable democracy. The culture wars are likely to continue. There are real differences in views in America about the relationship between church and state that need to be debated. For secular humanists the most contentious issue concerns the role of religion in the public square. There has been too little dissent about this. Bush has said that, for him, Jesus is the most influential philosopher(!) Bush's first public act after the announcement of his victory was a prayer. He and Vice President-elect Richard Cheney wish to use public funds to support "faith-based charities." Bush believes that the Ten Commandments should be posted in public buildings and that both cre- ation and evolution should be taught in the schools—though he would leave that up to the local school boards to decide. Unfortunately, during the campaign the Democratic Party moved to the right on the God question—in order, it is said, to pre-empt Bush's conservative base. If so, the strat- egy didn't work, but the damage done to the wall of separation may endure long after Campaign 2000. In any case, the basic principle of separation of church and state was seriously compromised—at least if we take the major candidates at their word. "The Senators and Representatives ... and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States." (Italics added.) —Article VI, Constitution of the United States of America Appended to this editorial are some selected quotations of George W. Bush/Dick Cheney and Al Gore/Joe Lieberman, which they uttered during the heat of the elec- tion battle. As one can see, both the Republicans and the Democrats espoused the ideology of the Religious Right. Indeed, the Wall Street Journal observed wryly that, if a Republican candidate professed Lieberman's views, then liberals would have been up in arms. Candidates Bill Bradley and Ralph Nader declined to interpose their private religious beliefs into the political campaign—but both were soundly Paul Kurtz is editor-in-chief of FREE INQUIRY and professor emeritus of philoso- phy at the State University of New York at Buffalo. © http://www.secularhumanism.org ® sprin _ 2001 defeated. The future of the Democratic ion. Party is up for grabs. Will it opt to iss Fkow To TALI_ WHEN WE REACH TRUE REL1GIoU5 TOLERANCE rm weaken secularism, as the Republican e h p Party has long advocated? it I submit that the United States is a d w te in secular democracy (the best single r piece of evidence for this being our god- Rep less Constitution), and that the private d. religious beliefs of the president are not relevant to his or her performance. The reserve hts Constitution clearly states that "no reli- ig gious Test shall ever be required as All r Qualification to any Office or public Inc. trust." Although this is legally the case ices (de jure), in practice (de facto) few if Serv any candidates have dared express dis- dia Me senting views about religion and God in ne the public square. ibu Tr Although the Democratic Party has © been a strong advocate of the First Amendment religion clause, regrettably, both Gore and Lieberman supported faith-based charities, a clear violation of the separation principle. Senator Lie- berman said that God needed to be restored to the "naked public square"— Lieberman asserted that the First John E Kennedy, on deciding to run a phrase first popularized by the neo- Amendment religion clause applied to for the presidency, demonstrated the conservative Richard John Neuhaus, freedom of religion, not freedom from proper posture: he was a candidate who and Vice President Gore apparently religion. The candidates tried to outdo happened to be a Roman Catholic, but agreed with these sentiments. each other in God-blessing everyone. (Continued on page 69) The Campaign 2000 Candidates on Religion George W. Bush Muslim, ought to be eligible for public dedicated to their children, their churches money to advance their good work." and their communities.".. "When you turn your heart and your life over to Christ, when you accept Christ as Al Gore Joseph Lieberman the savior, it changes your heart." From President Bush's inaugural "The men and women who work in faith- "We are still arguably the most religiously address: "We are guided by a power larg- and values-based organizations are dri- observant people on earth, and share a er than ourselves, who created us equal in ven by their spiritual commitment; to near universal belief in God. But you his image; ... Church and charity, syna- serve their God, they have sustained the wouldn't know it from national public life gogue and mosque, lend our communities drug addicted, the mentally ill, the home- today. The line between church and state their humanity, and they will have an hon- less; they have trained them, educated is an important one and has always been ored place in our plans and laws." them, cared for them, healed them. Most hard for us to draw, but in recent years we "It seems to me 'Thou shalt not kill' is of all, they have done what government have gone far beyond what the Framers pretty universal. I think districts ought to can never do; what it takes is God's help, ever imagined in separating the two. So be allowed to post the Ten Command- sometimes, for all of us to manage; they much so that we have practically banished ments. No matter what a person's religion have loved them." religious values and religious institutions is there's some inherent values in those "The idea of social justice is inextrica- from the public square and constructed a great commandments." bly linked in the Scriptures with ecology. 'discomfort zone' for even discussing our "[Schools should teach] different forms In passage after passage, environmental faith in public settings—ironically making of how the world was formed, [with evolu- degradation and social injustice go hand religion one of the few remaining socially tion taught alongside creation]. I believe in hand. Indeed, the first instance of 'pol- acceptable targets of intolerance." children ought to be exposed to different lution' in the Bible occurs when Cain slays As a people we need to reaffirm our theories about how the world started." Abel and his blood falls on the ground, faith and renew the dedication of our nation rendering it fallow" and ourselves to God and God's purposes." "The center of my life is faith and fam- "We know that the Constitution wisely Dick Cheney ily and I have a passion in my heart to separates church from state, but remem- "Governor Bush and I believe faith-based fight for the families who most need a ber: the Constitution guarantees freedom groups, whether Mormon or Methodist or champion, those who wake up each day of religion, not freedom from religion." free inquiry http://www.secularhumanism.org u (God contd.. from p. 6) specifically defended the morality of ists. One does not have to be a theist in atheists (in a letter to Thomas Law in order to demand equal protection of this was irrelevant to his role as presi- 1814). This principle applies all the the laws. They apply equally to unbe- dent. In our view, the president and his more to citizenship, where a person's lievers. Justices William Rehnquist, or her administration should remain private religious beliefs should be irrel- Antonin Scalia, and Clarence Thomas neutral about religious questions and evant. The United States is perhaps the have opined that the Establishment not seek to impose anyone's religious most pluralistic society on the planet— Clause means that the government faith or lack of faith on the country. It also means that neither the president nor the Congress will make any law The candidates tried to outdo each respecting the establishment of reli- gion or denying the free exercise there- other in God-blessing everyone. of. This entails the right to believe and the right not to believe, a core con- virtually every ethnic, national, racial, should not favor one sect of religion tention of church-state jurisprudence and religious group is represented over another; it does not mean that for more than five decades. The rights here; and this includes not only irreligion deserves equal protection of unbelievers should be protected as Christians, Jews, Mormons, Scientolo- with religion—contrary to the well as those of believers.
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