[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 86 (Monday, June 21, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H4618-H4619]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      RELIGIOUS FREEDOM OF SPEECH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. JONES of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I am again on the floor 
tonight because in this country, the greatest Nation in the world, our 
ministers, priests, rabbis, and clerics cannot have the freedom of 
speech to talk about the policies and political issues of the day.
  The history on that is simple. Prior to 1954, any minister, priest, 
rabbi, or cleric who wanted to speak freely about the politics or the 
moral or the policy issues of the day, they could do so without any 
threat from the Federal Government. Well, in 1954 Lyndon Baynes Johnson 
put an amendment on a revenue bill going through the Senate that 
basically said that if you are a 501(c)(3), you may not have any type 
of speech that could be interpreted as being somewhat of a political 
nature or a moral political nature.
  I have problems with this, Madam Speaker, simply because the 
Constitution of the United States of America, the first amendment says 
that any individual, church, or any individual has the right to speak 
freely of whatever should come to their mind that they feel like they 
should mention to their fellow citizen or to a congregation. Again, if 
this was 1953, Madam Speaker, I would not be on the floor of the House, 
because there would be no problem. This whole problem came about in 
1954. I do not want to go much into that history as I do want to go 
into the present.
  Let me read the first paragraph of a pastoral letter from Bishop 
Sheridan, Colorado Springs, a Catholic bishop in Colorado. Three weeks 
ago he wrote a three-page letter. I just want to read one paragraph:
  ``Dear brothers and sisters in Christ. This coming November, 
Americans will participate in one of the most important national 
elections in recent history. The President, Senators, and Congressmen 
who are placed in office by our votes will serve at a time in which 
issues that are critical to the very survival of our civilization will 
be at the top of the political agenda. As we prepare for these 
elections, I consider it my duty as your bishop to write to you about 
these matters so that you might go to the polls this fall with a well-
informed conscience.''
  Madam Speaker, I say that, and I am not going into any more of the 
letter, it is a three-page letter; but I will tell my colleagues that 
all this bishop did was to remind the parishioners in his diocese, the 
teachers of the church, and not only the church, but of Jesus Christ.

                              {time}  1930

  And that is all he did. But because he did this, he did not say 
Democrat or Republican, he did not say liberal or conservative, but he 
talked about pro-life issues.
  Mr. Speaker, because he did that, Barry Lynn of the Americans for the 
Separation of Church and State, filed a complaint against this Bishop. 
Where is America going? Where is America going when a minister, a 
priest, or Rabbi or a cleric can not speak freely, which is a first 
amendment guarantee by our Constitution.
  I am not going to go into the letter by Mr. Lind, but I will tell you 
that basically what he did is to chastise this Bishop because he spoke 
about the pro-life issues which are very important to our church. And I 
happen to be a Roman Catholic. I would say this if this was a minister, 
I would say this if it was a rabbi, they should have the freedom of 
speech that was guaranteed until 1954.
  In addition to that, I want to also recite from Alex de Tocqueville, 
who came to America in 1830 and he loved America, this new republic, 
this freedom that we enjoy, and he talked

[[Page H4619]]

about the beauty that God had blessed us with, this natural beauty. But 
what he was really was encouraged with, and I want to read this, ``But 
not until I went to the churches of America and I heard her pulpits 
flamed with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and 
power. America is great because America is good. And if America ever 
ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.''
  Mr. Speaker, there is also another quote that I think goes back to 
Jeff Jacoby with the Boston Globe that I read back in 1995, my first 
year in the United States Congress, when he said that religion can 
survive in the absence of freedom, but freedom without religion becomes 
dangerous and unstable.
  And what I am seeing happening in this country today bothers me 
greatly. When I think about the young men and women that are dying in 
Afghanistan and Iraq, they are dying so the Iraqi people can have 
freedom, and yet in this great Nation known as America, our priests, 
our preachers, rabbis and clerics cannot have the first amendment 
rights.
  Let me share a quote with you from Floyd Flake. Floyd Flake, Mr. 
Speaker, was one of the finest Members of this United States House of 
Representatives. He is a minister in New York City. And I want to read 
this for you very quickly. It is a letter about the bill I put in to 
return freedom of speech to our churches and synagogues. He says, ``I 
praise God for the stand that you have taken to defend the first 
amendment rights of houses of worship. It is unjust that churches and 
clergymen and women are unfairly targeted when they exercise their 
rights as American citizens. I am pleased to offer my whole-hearted 
support with sincere prayer for passage of this important and 
liberating legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I will close, but I want to say that I hope that the 
colleagues of mine in this House will join me in returning the first 
amendment rights to our churches, our synagogues and our mosques.
  I close by asking God to please bless our men and women in uniform 
and their families and my God continue to bless and help save America.

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