CHURCH STATE SEPARATION UPDATE

Dear Fellow Missourian:

As a native of our state, I am deeply troubled that our Legislature is considering a measure that would have the practical effect of declaring Christianity to be the official state religion. Missouri State Representatives David Sater and Barney Joe Fisher have sponsored a resolution which affirms the Christian history of the state and supports voluntary prayer in public schools and religious displays on public property. The Council for Secular Humanism and the First Amendment Task Force seek to preserve a benevolent separation of church and state in which both believers and non believers are equal before the law. We adhere to the true intent of our nation's Founders. We want no branch of government to betray any favoritism for any theological point of view.

The fight against religious fundamentalism is growing more intense each day. The remaking of the Supreme Court by the president and the fact that my home state's Legislature could even consider such a sectarian resolution, shows that we are involved in a struggle to preserve a modern secular society.

Please use the form below to contact our representatives about the proposed resolution. I also invite you to make a donation today to support the Council for Secular Humanism and support our mission to preserve First Amendment rights and church state separation. We need your help, more than ever before, to keep the clock from being turned back in our state and in our nation.

Sincerely,

DJ Grothe,
National Field Director

For complete text of the proposed resolution, please click here.

Please support the Council for Secular Humanism so that we can keep the pressure on lawmakers to respect the First Amendment!

Sample Letter for Campaign

Subject: House Resolution No. 13

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

I understand that you have proposed or are considering a resolution that would establish Christianity as the official religion of Missouri. As you know, the U.S. Constitution is still the law of the land, and specifically prohibits establishing any particular religion as the official religion. The First Amendment was passed to protect the freedom of religious belief, and freedom of conscience, for everyone... not just Christians. I urge you to reject turning back the clock, and instead support the constitutional freedoms our country was founded upon. Establishing any religion as the official religion sends a message of intolerance, and violates the rule of law in our constitutional republic.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
March 08, 2006

Background Information

Since the 1960s, when the Supreme Court finally applied the First Amendment consistently to the states through the 14th amendment, states have been constitutionally barred from establishing a state religion. The proposed resolution in Missouri is a direct assault on the Establishment clause and will fail any constitutional challenge. The resolution's architect is wasting taxpayer time and money and shows an utter disregard for the rule of law. We urge you to write to the resolution's sponsor and the governor and tell them to stand up for the U.S. Constitution, and reject theocracy.

    - The proposed resolution tears down the wall of separation of church and state, and sets Christians above all others by making theirs the official religion.

    - it is a frontal assault on the First Amendment, meant to get an early challenge in the Supreme Court that could undermine the Constitution for decades.

    - It threatens the principle of freedom of conscience, inherent in the First Amendment, that otherwise makes all religions, as well as nonreligion, equal in the eyes of the law.