Subject: urgent legislative alert
From: Interfaith Working Group <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 14 Feb 1998 00:27:48 -0500 (EST)

We only do these on very rare occasions:

H.J. Res. 78, a Constitutional amendment that
ultimately threatens everyone's religious freedoms,
is expected to come up for a vote in the House any
day now.  The proposed amendment is as follows: To
secure the people's right to acknowledge God
according to the dictates of conscience: The people's
right to pray and to recognize their religious
beliefs, heritage, or traditions on public property,
including schools, shall not be infringed.  The
Government shall not require any person to join in
prayer or other religious activity, initiate or
designate school prayers, discriminate against
religion, or deny access to a benefit on account of
religion.

It's called the "Religious Freedom Amendment."  We've
already got one, called the First Amendment: Congress
shall make no law respecting an establishment of
religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof or
abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or
the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to
petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Some day, no matter what faith you are, you may find
yourself living in a town where you are a religious
minority.  H.J. Res. 78 would not prevent public
schools or local governments from plastering their
walls with sacred texts from religions radically
different from yours, or bringing in proselytizing
clergy as guest speakers, as long as no one is
"forced" to pray (although your children would be
forced to listen). Nor does it prevent people from
other religions reading prayers over the school
loudspeaker.  To many people, praying involves
fervent wishes for the smiting of the unpopular
(including people of other religions, which could be
you or your family), and telling someone not to say
that kind of prayer would constitute discrimination
on the basis of religion (under the new amendment).

For more information visit Americans United for
Separation of Church and State and read the ACLU's
legislative analysis.

http://www.au.org
http://www.aclu.org/congress/lg072297a.html

Then Contact Your Congressperson.
http://www.berkshire.net/~ifas/activist/index.html
The House Switchboard Number is 202-224-3121

If you feel comfortable doing so, tell your
congressperson about your religious affiliation
and/or any religious titles you hold.

-- 

Interfaith Working Group                Religious organizations, congregations
[email-masked]                      and clergy supporting gay rights,
http://www.libertynet.org/~iwg/         reproductive freedom, and the 
215-235-3050                            separation of church and state.