Religious Right Kicks Off Campaign For Istook Religion Amendment.Backed by a full gospel The Full Gospel movement within Protestant Christianity places special emphasis on the gifts of the Holy Spirit and in that God wills for his children to be prosperous in all areas of their lives:
Reed joined the Rev. Earl Jackson, the Christian Coalition's director of urban development, at the Dirksen Senate Office Building The Dirksen Senate Office Building was the second office building constructed for members of the United States Senate in Washington, D.C. and was named after the late Minority Leader Everett Dirksen from Illinois in 1972. before a crowd of about 400 supporters for a "Religious Freedom Ride Celebration." Among the speakers was U.S. Rep. Ernest Istook (R-Okla.), the chief sponsor of the "Religious Freedom Amendment" in Congress. Istook told the gathering that religious freedom has been "hijacked" by secularists opposed to religion. "The Constitution was meant to be a shield for our freedom, but it has been made into a sword to censor censor (sĕn`sər), title of two magistrates of ancient Rome (from c.443 B.C. to the time of Domitian). They took the census (by which they assessed taxation, voting, and military service) and supervised public behavior. , attack and suppress religion," he charged. Other speakers included Gary Bauer Gary L. Bauer (born May 4 1946, Covington, Kentucky)[1] is a conservative American politician notable for his ties to several evangelical Christian groups and campaigns. In 1973, Bauer received a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University. , president of the Family Research Council. "It is alarming to watch judges add brick upon brick to the so-called `wall of separation' between church and state," said Bauer, who serves as radio counselor James Dobson's political operative in Washington. "The Supreme Court and our federal courts have gutted the Free Exercise Clause of the Constitution and enshrined the Establishment Clause as the cornerstone of the First Amendment, relegating our most important freedoms to a distant second place." The Christian Coalition's Jackson introduced several current or former public school students whose religious freedom rights were allegedly violated. Among them was Brittney Settle-Gossett, who in 1991 sued a school in Dickson County, Tenn., after she received an F for a report about Jesus. However, the federal courts examined Gossett's claims and found them lacking in merit. The student's paper received a failing grade, not because of its subject, but because Gossett didn't follow the teacher's instructions for the project. Prior to the event, Americans United distributed a press statement giving the facts about Gossett's story and others that were showcased at the Coalition rally. AU Executive Director Barry W. Lynn Reverend Barry W. Lynn (born 1948 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) has been the Executive Director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State since 1992.[1] noted that all three of the public school cases are several years old. "If religious liberty violations are occurring daily, why is Ralph Reed showcasing three incidents that are ancient?" asked Lynn. Concluded Lynn, "The American people An American people may be:
Reed and the Coalition seem to be having difficulty mustering grassroots enthusiasm for their constitutional amendment campaign. After the Washington event, they took a chartered airplane to other cities. At the Cincinnati airport, however, only 25 people turned out for a rally. An event in Nashville attracted about 80 people, many of them staffers from local Baptist organizations who came to see Richard Land Richard D. Land (born 1947) is the president of The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), the public policy entity of the Southern Baptist Convention, a post he has held since 1988. of the Southern Baptist Noun 1. Southern Baptist - a member of the Southern Baptist Convention Southern Baptist Convention - an association of Southern Baptists Baptist - follower of Baptistic doctrines Convention's Christian Life Commission. A third event scheduled for Charlotte, N.C., was cancelled outright. Istook's "Religious Freedom Amendment" would allow officially sanctioned prayer in public schools, require government to give taxpayer funding to religious schools and other sectarian institutions and permit government to endorse religion as part of acknowledging our "heritage" and "traditions." H.J. Res. 78 has 130 co-sponsors in the House but has yet to be introduced in the Senate. A one-page fact sheet on the Istook amendment is available from the Americans United national office. The document can also be found on Americans United's website at: http://www.au.org |
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