[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 98 (Friday, June 28, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S7297]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      CHURCH ARSON PREVENTION ACT

  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, although I was pleased to have had the 
opportunity to join with Senators Faircloth and Kennedy as an original 
cosponsor of S. 1890, the Church Arson Prevention Act, I remain 
saddened by the fact that this bipartisan legislative effort was even 
necessary.
  To think that the Congress of the United States must take action to 
stop the vile and revolting destruction that we have seen occurring at 
places of worship throughout this nation is a troubling through, 
indeed. It is simply incomprehensible to me that anyone in this country 
could be so depraved that they would consider, let along carry out, 
such deeds against the House of the Lord.
  Sadly, though, since January 1995, there have been fires at 75 
churches nationwide. And while many of these acts of religious 
terrorism have taken place in the South, the fact is that any activity 
of this kind is an attack on all Americans, all churches, and all 
faiths. Not one of us is spared the effects of these dehumanizing 
incidents. This is why it is important that we stand together, all of 
us, to speak with one voice in condemning these cries of unspeakable 
dimension. Each of us, in this body and throughout this nation, must 
demonstrate a collective intolerance for this destruction.
  I would hope that all Americans--be they Christian, Jew, Muslim, or 
even atheist--take time to remember that this nation was founded on the 
principle of religious freedom. Many of those who set sail upon 
uncharted and dangerous seas nearly 400 years ago, who landed on shores 
they knew nothing about, and who undertook unimaginable risks, did so 
for one overriding reason: religious liberty. Indeed, this most 
fundamental right is the very first to be protected in the First 
Amendment to the Constitution.
  Mr. President, I believe that all of us have a responsibility, and 
those of us in this body a sworn duty, to defend this legacy. Thus, I 
urge every American to join me in condemning these terrible acts of 
violence: For if we are unwilling to condemn them then we are silently 
condoning them.

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