Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 11, 1995 TAG: 9506120081
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CODY LOWE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: HARRISONBURG LENGTH: Long
A federal judge threatens to "jail any child mentioning Jesus or any other deity" at a high school graduation.
A high-school student is arrested for praying outside her school before classes began.
Those stories and dozens of others fueled a four-hour hearing Saturday on "Religious Liberty and the Bill of Rights." Arguments for a Religious Equality Amendment dominated the hearing, which was conducted by the House Judiciary Committee's Constitution subcommittee.
Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Roanoke, serves on the committee and got the first in a planned series of national hearings in his district.
A few speakers Saturday warned of the dangers of weakening the wall of separation between church and state. They agreed that the incidents described above - which were corrected after legal challenges - shouldn't have happened, but said such cases are rare.
A constitutional amendment that would allow prayers by nonstudents in public schools or authorize placing religious symbols on public property is going too far, they say.
But most of the 400 to 500 people gathered Saturday at Harrisonburg High School want such an amendment to protect public-school students, in particular, from the whims of federal and state courts' interpretations of the First Amendment's religion clauses.
Goodlatte said the fear of some people that such an amendment would run roughshod over the rights of religious minorities is unjustified.
A Religious Equality Amendment would require approval by two-thirds votes in both houses of Congress and ratification by three-fourths of the states. No amendment has been written yet, but Goodlatte said he was sure language can be found to "clarify the will of the people" on the First Amendment's protections of religious expression.
Any successful amendment "would have to have very broad-based support," which he is confident would include protections for minorities, Goodlatte said after the hearing.
Much of Saturday's testimony involved the infringement of public-school students' rights to speak or write about their religious faith, an issue that has dominated the national debate on the amendment.
Most of the 11 preselected speakers had some direct experience with religious-liberty issues. Seven were for an amendment, four were against.
Judging by the applause, amendment supporters outnumbered opponents in far greater numbers. Of the nine audience members who gave two-minute addresses to Goodlatte and subcommittee chairman Charles Cannady, R-Fla., eight favored an amendment.
While many speakers drew loud applause for their testimony, perhaps none was more appreciated than the Rev. Charles Fuller, pastor of Roanoke's First Baptist Church on Third Street. Fuller was interrupted by applause at least a dozen times in a five-minute address.
Responding to a question from Goodlatte, Fuller insisted that minority religions should be protected and said, for example, that he supported the right of a Buddhist student to read from Buddhist teachings in a valedictory address, just as a Christian should be allowed to quote the New Testament.
He then quoted the biblical prophet Elijah as he confronted the worshipers of the god Baal, who were drawing adherents from among the Hebrews.
"Elijah said, `Let the prophets of Baal pray.''' (The audience called out its appreciation and applauded.) ```Then I want to pray.''' (The applause swelled.) ```And let the God who answers be the proof.''' (A cheering standing ovation rocked the auditorium.)
Opponents of a constitutional amendment did not get that kind of response, although they had a small cheering section of their own. They generally insisted that government neutrality toward religion is what is needed.
The Rev. William G. Wilson, pastor of Waynesboro's First Baptist Church, said students' religious rights already are protected in many ways.
Students may have Bible and religious clubs on campus, can be released from school for religious education off campus, can be taught about religion in classes, may pray silently or in groups as long as they are not disruptive, and may sponsor baccalaureate exercises.
Wilson acknowledged what he sees as long and complex list of social ills in the nation that he believes can be solved only by religion. But, he said, "Vocal religious leaders are blaming the government because that is easier than accepting responsibility for a history of self-serving religion. That means we religious types have helped create this crisis in our nation's soul."
No speaker Saturday addressed the subcommittee's apparently inadvertent offense of scheduling the meeting on the Jewish sabbath.
Cannady, Goodlatte and a couple of subcommittee staff members met Friday with four Jews from the district who had objected to scheduling a meeting on religious equality on a day when they would not be able to attend.
David Nova, a member of Roanoke's Temple Emanuel congregation of Reform Judaism, said he told the committee he worries that an amendment would infringe on protections for religious minorities, and considering it will be "a painful and divisive process."
by CNB