Northwest Reflections

Those interested in the issue of separation between church and state may enjoy watching the documentary movie ArticleVI that is available here. The movie follows a young LDS man around the country as he interviews all sorts of people during Romney’s run for the Presidency, asking their opinion whether it would be acceptable for a Mormon to occupy the White House. The interviewees range from street preachers to televangelists and ministers of various faiths, authors, college professors, Constitutional lawyers, and the Alabama judge who installed a monument to the Ten Commandments in a courthouse. Hearing the diversity of opinion is fascinating. People not only differ on the question of Mormons in government but on the broader issue of the role of faith in government. The opinions expressed have broad implications for all religions. Replayed throughout are excerpts from John F. Kennedy’s landmark speech to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association in 1960 in which JFK outlined why it is wrong to levy religious tests on candidates. The movie ends with a short but unexpectedly uplifting scene about overcoming prejudice and finding harmony between people of conflicting beliefs. The closing credits show dozens of different symbols used on military tombstones for various religious convictions, including Atheism. The message is that everyone who contributes to this country enjoys the same rights as everyone else. Even though Romney terminated his run, ArticleVI will remain relevant for years to come. I strongly recommend it. Even my seventeen-year-old son enjoyed it (and that’s saying a lot!).

The movie whetted my appetite for more on the subject. After reading a few book reviews, I purchased The Godless Constitution by Isaac Kramnick and R. Laurence Moore. The authors review the events leading up to the “godless” separation between religion and government that has become our legal tradition. (Some argued in 1789 against adopting the Constitution, calling it “godless” because it did not officially recognize Christianity.) The authors discuss John Locke whose ideas would become the foundation for religious freedom in America. They describe Roger Williams who, to the consternation of his contemporaries, established a government in Rhode Island that had no church connection. Williams was deeply religious and felt government’s involving itself in church business was sacrilege. Even though Williams had major theological problems with other faiths, he was firmly committed to the principle of religious freedom for all. The authors also discuss Thomas Jefferson and his famous letter with the “wall of separation” phrase and his statute of religious freedom in Virginia which led to our Bill of Rights. The founding fathers recognized that unless someone’s faith generated public harm, the state should not be involved. I enjoyed the book and recommend it. I just hope my friends don’t see the “godless” title and dismiss the work as anti-religious without reading it.

I am now looking for another good book on the subject with a differing point of view.