Church and state — a storm cloud on the horizon

There is no shortage of big issues that fill our daily papers, television screens and Internet news reports. Items such as the political upheaval in the Middle East, federal budget cutting in Washington, D.C., and governor-union confrontations in Wisconsin demand the public’s attention.

Separation of church and state issues are quiet just now, but a big, dark storm cloud is on the horizon and will not escape our full attention during the coming years.

For the record, I read every edition of Report from the Capital, the magazine of the Baptist Joint Committee. BJC is a Baptist-sponsored watchdog organization in Washington, D.C., dedicated to the maintenance of separation of church and state. This small, but powerful lobby is headed by J. Brent Walker. Walker is a graduate of Stetson University School of Law and Southern Baptist Seminary. He is a member of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar and is an ordained Baptist minister. He teaches classes at Georgetown University Law Center and at Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, Va.

The information and opinions that follow are greatly dependent on my reading of Report from the Capital. While I am not using direct quotes, my dependence on BJC and Brent Walker needs to be acknowledged.

The constant is the discussion is the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. “CONGRESS SHALL MAKE NO LAW RESPECTING AN ESTABLISHMENT OF RELIGION OR PROHIBITING THE FREE EXERCISE THEREOF.” In the discussion of the First Amendment, words like “separation of church and state” and “the wall of separation” are often used. My friends at BJC more often speak of neutrality. In matters related to religion, federal, state and local governments must remain neutral. Government must not do anything that promotes religion or that inhibits the free practice of religion.

That point of view seems plain and simple enough for everyone to understand.

Not so. There is a very large minority of Americans who believe that the United States was founded to be a Christian nation. They believe Christianity ought to be a privileged religion. Incredibly, they do not believe government neutrality is the plain meaning of the First Amendment.

The framers of our Constitution represented a wide variety of religious opinions. They ranged from Christian Fundamentalists to deists and atheists. The common ground that was found was neutrality.

But what does neutrality mean in the 21st century?

In the past decade, two government actions and an incident brought the issue of neutrality to the public attention. The first is the continuing effort for government to provide vouchers to students to attend private schools, most of which are religion-based. Many of us believe this is a clear violation of the neutrality standard. The second is the establishment of The White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. President George W. Bush established this federal agency and used it to funnel hundreds of millions of dollars to church and quasi-church organizations. President Barack Obama has worked for two years to clean up the program so that the neutrality standard is maintained. It remains a work in progress.

The significant incident that raised the neutrality issue was the proposed Islamic center near the 9-11 Ground Zero in New York City. Public opinion was overwhelmingly negative. The proponents of religious neutrality were difficult to find.

The First Amendment is the constant in that discussion, but as a living standard Americans in every era must revisit it. The face of America is changing. How will the First Amendment fare in the next decade?

There is a storm cloud on the horizon and it is moving our way. The cloud is carrying a series of issues, but none greater than the growing religious diversity in America. The most significant growth in diversity is away from Christianity. For most of American history, diversity was experienced as diversity among Christians. That is no longer true, as 17 percent of Americans now identify themselves as having no religion. The non-religious population is very sensitive to any privilege given to religion.

The Muslim population in the United States is expected to double over the next decade. Mosques are being built all over the country. Distinctive dress and public prayer practices are common. Hindus have become more numerous and are finding voice when they experience discrimination or are marginalized in our public institutions.

We are moving into an era when religious minorities will not be silent. They embrace their First Amendment rights and expect to be treated with equity.

The school voucher issue is a flash point. U.S. House Speaker John Boehner in January introduced legislation that would provide funds for vouchers for children to use in private schools in Washington, D.C., including religion-based schools. BJC sees vouchers as a violation of the First Amendment, bad for public schools, bad for private schools and a step backward from religious liberty and government neutrality.

Diversity is an American strength. The First Amendment is our religious protector.

The Rev. Howard Bess is a retired American Baptist minister who lives in Palmer. His e-mail address is hdbss@mtaonline.net.

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