Issue Position: Protecting the Ten Commandments and Other Expressions of Faith

Issue Position

The Founding Fathers of the United States of America were deeply religious men who believed Divine Providence would play a large part in the shaping of the new nation. As evidence of this Thomas Jefferson, the original drafter of the Declaration of Independence, wrote, "When in the Course of human Events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the Earth, the separate and equal Station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the Separation." Followed in the second paragraph by, "WE hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights…"

Furthermore, Alexander Hamilton, author of the Federalist papers, a signatory of the U.S. Constitution, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, and close friend of George Washington is known to have said, "The sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for among old parchments or musty records. They are written, as with a sunbeam, in the whole volume of human nature, by the hand of the Divinity itself, and can never be erased or obscured by mortal power."

While the Framers of the Constitution held strong religious convictions, they realized a State-sponsored religion was not appropriate for a country conceived in the ideals of individual freedoms. The Founding Fathers made sure to extend this expression to all faiths and not just the religion they chose to follow. Never, however, would our nation's founders have believed that expressions of faith should be disallowed in public buildings, stricken from our nation's currency, prohibited at high-school sporting events, or abolished as part of a modern-day Pledge of Allegiance.

"In God We Trust" is the national motto of the United States. It therefore deserves prominent display on our nation's currency and coins. The motto first appeared on one- and two-cent coins during the Civil War as the result of an initiative by the Secretary of the Treasury and the Director of the Mint. In 1865, Congress granted the Secretary authority to inscribe other coins as well. In 1955, the inscription was extended to the currency; and in 1956 the phrase was statutorily declared to be the national motto.

"In God We Trust" is an appropriate motto for the United States, and deserves a place on our nation's currency and coins. I will strongly oppose any attempts to alter this long-standing tradition.

I was outraged when the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the inclusion of the words "Under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance. I firmly believe the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals' ruling is contrary to the principles on which our nation was founded. The Ninth Circuit's ruling is divergent from the vast weight of Supreme Court authority recognizing that the mere mention of God in a public setting is not contrary to any reasonable reading of the First Amendment. The Pledge of Allegiance is not a religious service or a prayer, but a statement of historical beliefs. The Pledge of Allegiance recognizes the fact that many people believe in God and the value that our culture has traditionally placed on the role of religion in our founding and our culture. The Supreme Court has recognized that governmental entities may, consistent with the First Amendment, recognize the religious heritage of America.

During the 107th Congress I was a cosponsor of House Resolution 459, which expressed the sense of the Congress that the phrase "One Nation, under God," should remain in the Pledge of Allegiance. The Resolution reaffirmed our belief that the Pledge of Allegiance is recognizes the value our culture has traditionally placed on the role of religion in our founding, and calls upon the full Ninth Circuit to quickly rehear and reverse this historically incorrect ruling.

In addition, I support efforts to protect the public display of the Ten Commandments. In fact, last year I was a supporter of legislation offered by Rep. Robert Aderholdt's (R-AL) entitled the Ten Commandments Defense Act (H.R. 3895). The Ten Commandments Defense Act declared that expressions of religious faith by individual persons upon State property are: (1) protected against Federal laws or regulations respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise of religion; and (2) among those liberties of which no State may deprive any person without due process of law made in pursuance of powers reserved to the States. I supported this measure because states should have authority to decide if the Ten Commandments, one of the cornerstones upon which our country was founded, should be displayed in public buildings.

Detractors of this legislation argue it violates the First Amendment to the Constitution. I do not share their view. The First Amendment does not prohibit public exhibitions of faith. Its purpose is to prohibit the implementation of a state-sponsored religion and to guarantee the individuals' right to express their faith without interference. My support of this measure is in keeping with the ideals of the Founding Fathers and their desire to have a nation founded on high moral ideas and the rule of law.

Finally, I have been proud in each of the last two Congresses to be a cosponsor of H.R. 235 - the Houses of Worship Political Speech Protection Act offered by Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC). H.R. 235 would amend the Internal Revenue Code to permit a church to participate or intervene in a political campaign and maintain its tax-exempt status as long as such participation is not a substantial part of its activities. I am once again a cosponsor of this legislation, along with a large number of my colleagues.

I believe strongly that we must fight to protect public expressions of faith and make certain the role of religion in the founding and history of our nation is never forgotten.

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