The Standard of Liberty Voice
For God,Religion,Family,Freedom
A publication of The Standard of Liberty Foundation
www.standardofliberty.org
October 23, 2006, #27

Tear Down This Wall
– claiming our right to religious freedom

Picture this.

A Wisconsin Catholic Bishop named Robert Morlino produces a brochure called “Marriage Matters” and distributes them to his parishioners as an encouragement to vote in defense of traditional marriage. The next thing he knows, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign has complained to the Elections Board accusing the Diocese of “electioneering” and demanding the church to register with the board and disclose financial information.

What is wrong with this picture?

Robert Morlino himself said it best. “The Church does not support individual candidates or parties. This does not mean that when important issues arise, the church will remain quiet while the truths of the dignity of the human person and of Christ are being threatened. The Church and her members have a moral responsibility to engage the culture and political world in which we live. To claim I must pay a fee and report to the state about my teaching activities in Catholic venues blatantly violates [the right] to the free exercise of religion.”

There is a movement afoot in our country based on a false precept repeated and used in the courts so often that religious people are being intimidated into silence on matters of legislation, public policy, law, and politics. That false precept is that there should be “a wall of separation between church and state,” a phrase not found anywhere in the Constitution. There’s a long story every American should read up on about how this lie came to be adopted. But to make that long story short, the truth is, this false notion has turned the Constitution completely upside-down: The free exercise of religion guarantee was not written to protect the government from religion, but to protect religion from the government! In a mind-boggling cultural twist, children are now being disciplined for reading their Bibles during recess and churches are now threatened with legal punishment for handing out materials to their own members.

It is helpful to know that it was not until 1954, when Lyndon Johnson got mad about some churches supporting his congressional opponent and got a bill passed (strengthened in 1987) modifying the tax code stating that churches cannot remain tax-exempt unless they refrain from opposing or endorsing candidates or parties, that churches began to be intimidated into backing out of politics. Again, not in the Constitution. John Plecnik on Renew America tells us, “Since that time, progressive groups like the ACLU have used Johnson’s law to blackmail our religious leaders into silence.” Thank goodness efforts are now being made to reverse this misguided and corrupt legislation.

In accordance with the current law of the land which would ensure the Church’s tax-exempt status, in 1996 President Hinckley stated, “The Church does not endorse any political party or political candidate, nor does it permit the use of church buildings and facilities for political purposes.” But he goes on to stipulate, “We believe that the Church should remain out of politics unless there is a moral question at issue. And in the case of a moral issue we would expect to speak out on our view. We . . . urge our members, as citizens, to exercise their political franchise as individuals. And we believe, likewise, that it is in the interest of good government to permit freedom of worship, freedom of religion. Our official statement says, ‘We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.’”

In other words, while refraining from opposing or endorsing parties or candidates, churches can and should and must talk about the moral issues confronting our society. And we must confront them in church settings, strengthening and sharing our orthodox doctrines and values, especially since church is where religious people most often gather as a community. But alas, this isn’t happening. Try instigating a gospel-based application discussion on the topics of same-sex marriage, abortion, or stem cell research in most LDS adult Sunday School classes or church services and you will unearth some very unhappy campers.

Whatever our political views, we Latter-day Saints, after decades of conditioning, have become squeamish about addressing moral issues in the context of our religion. (You can see what a clever move it was to politicize traditional morality and depoliticize the church.) We seem to think there is a wall of separation between our religion and the real world we live in. Alas, we are reaping what we sow: A secular government that pressures us to keep God and His laws out of the public arena and increasingly restricts our religious freedom.


-Stephen & Janice Graham



Copyright 2006 by Standard of Liberty Foundation, Inc. All rights reserved.

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