Congress Shall Establish No Law...

Here's the most key phrase in the Bill of Rights, "Congress Shall Establish No Law..." By way of codes and interpretation, one of the many things this phrase has come to mean is that public any display of religious faith allowed on public lands must be similarly granted to all faiths.

Yes, I have an example...

This week, in conjunction with the National Day of Prayer, several churches in Berryville are reading the Holy Bible from cover to cover on the town square. Yes, the square is a publicly maintained piece of land.

Here's the rub...

Any faith based religious organization which asks to use the square cannot be denied similar access to the square.

Yes, I have an example...

If a mosque wanted to have a Qaran reading on the square, it cannot be denied out of hand because it's not our faith. This is the same if a synagogue wanted to hold a similar reading of the Torah on the square. Gotta church? Gotta holy book? Get the square.

Yes, I am a Presbyterian Minister, and I want us all to read scripture, particularly I am a fan of the Holy Bible (I'm an NRSV man and don't take stock of the apocrypha but to each his own.), but in this land of opportunity, in this land of equal access; we must be cautious because the doors we open cannot be closed so easily.

What's the difference between a fundamentalist Christian group and a fundamentalist Muslim group on the square? Nothing in the eyes of the law...and that's all our judges are allowed to use in making judgement. When the Congress, or the State, or the Quorum Court establishes and implements law for one, it must be for all.

Remember that great final line from the Pledge of Allegiance: Liberty and justice for all.

As hard as this can be to swallow, this includes unpopular points of view too.