AFA ACTION ALERT 3/7/98

American Family Association
Dr. Donald E. Wildmon, President
P.O. Drawer 2440
Tupelo, Mississippi 38803
Telephone: 601/844-5036
Fax: 601/844-9176
World Wide Web: http://www.afa.net


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AFA has just received the following URGENT notice from our friends at the Christian Family Network. "The Salt Server" is a publication of the Christian Family Network (Mance E. Harmon - Editor). To subscribe free of charge to "The Salt Server" send an e-mail to saltserver at request@majordomo.net. In the BODY (not subject line) of the message type 'subscribe' without the quotes.

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AMENDMENT

URGENT- A vote on the Religious Freedom Amendment could occur on the House floor as early as next week. Please contact your Representatives and encourage them to vote to approve the amendment. Please disseminate this message as widely as possible. To get contact information (email, telephone, and postal) please go to http://www.house.gov/writerep/ If you are unable to find the necessary information using the above link, then try http://www.hoboes.com/html/Politics/electednet/ For more information visit the official Religious Freedom Amendment webpage at http://religiousfreedom.house.gov/

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On Wednesday, March 4th, the House Judiciary Committee approved the Religious Freedom Amendment (H.J. Res 78) by a vote of 16 to 11. The proposed Constitutional amendment is sponsored by Rep. Ernest Istook, R-Oklahoma, and 151 other House members and is designed to protect individuals' right of religious expression in public and on public property including voluntary school prayer. This proposed amendment is the result of a 3 year effort to draft a piece of legislation that addresses the issue of religious suppression in our country.

The Religious Freedom Amendment has been endorsed by over 30 organizations of diverse backgrounds and beliefs. Some of the organizations include: National Association of Evangelicals (Over 40 denominations), Christian Coalition, Catholic Alliance, Focus on the Family, American Family Association, Citizens for Excellence in Education, Concerned Women for America, Family Research Council, General Council of the Assemblies of God, International Pentecostal Church of Christ, Jewish Union, National Baptist Convention, Southern Baptist Convention, Wall Builders, American Conference of Jews and Blacks, and Youth for Christ.

The ACLU opposes this legislation stating "a constitutional amendment is unnecessary. Contrary to claims by its supporters, public schools are not hostile to students' religious expression." However, decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court suggest otherwise. For example, in 1980 the Supreme Court declared that the Ten Commandments could not be displayed on school walls. In 1985 it ruled that a "moment of silence" in public schools was unconstitutional because it could be used by students for silent prayer. Currently, the ACLU is suing Nitro High School in West Virginia for offering a prayer over the loudspeaker before football games, a tradition it has had for 17 years. The display of creches are banned in schools, as well as the singing of religious songs like "Silent Night." In Scarsdale, New York, the school board took the word "Christmas" off the spelling list in its schools. Even the color and shape of Christmas cookies became an issue! These types of purification practices were also applied to Easter. Eventually the term "Easter" was stricken from all school anals or scripture readings, distribution of religious texts, and discussions of a devotional or inspirational nature. The court order went so far as to emphasize that neither could there be a time of prayer even during national emergencies. Contrary to ACLU and People For The American Way statements, religious speech and prayer IS restricted, when other speech is not, and there is an apparent hostility by the judicial system toward religion. The Catholic League summed up the view of the supporters of the Religious Freedom Amendment by stating "[w]e do not seek to amend the First Amendment, rather we seek to restore the status quo ante, that is the condition that was outlined by the Framers of the Constitution and was found acceptable by the courts for most of our nation's history. In short, we want our rights back."

"Spreading Truth on the Information Superhighway"
AFA ACTION ALERT
Buddy Smith, Editor
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