[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book II)]
[August 14, 1997]
[Pages 1102-1104]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks Announcing Guidelines on Religious Exercise and Religious 
Expression in the Federal Workplace
August 14, 1997

    Thank you. Thank you very much. To all the members of the coalition 
who are here and to those of you who brought your families, thank you 
very much for bringing them. Congressman Cardin, thank you for coming 
and for your steadfast support of this cause.
    Secretary Riley, thank you for being willing to take on this 
difficult issue 2 years ago when a lot of people thought it was a no-win 
issue for you. And you did a superb job. And congratulations on 
persuading your wife to stay with you for 40 years. [Laughter] Someone 
suggested this morning that she should be nominated for the Presidential 
Medal of Freedom for that great endeavor. [Laughter]
    Ladies and gentlemen, you all know that we are here to announce the 
issuance of guidelines on freedom of religious expression in the Federal 
workplace. Our devotion to religious freedom has shaped our identity 
from the beginning, as the Vice President said.
    Thomas Jefferson wrote, ``We have solved the great and interesting 
question whether freedom of religion is compatible with order in 
Government and obedience to the laws. And we have experienced the quiet, 
as well as the comfort which results from leaving everyone to profess 
freely and openly those principles of religion which are the inductions 
of his own reason and the serious convictions of his own inquiries.'' 
The Founders understood that religious freedom is a two-sided coin, and 
therefore our Constitution protects the free exercise of religion while 
at the same time prohibiting the establishment of religion by the state. 
This careful balance is the genius, the enduring genius of the first 
amendment.
    Indeed, because we are free to worship or not, according to our own 
conscience, as the Vice President said, Americans worship deeply and in 
very great numbers. Throughout our history, men and women have come to 
America to escape religious persecution elsewhere and secure religious 
freedom here.
    Over time, we'd all have to admit that our own history on this has 
not been free from error, but over time, we have continued to do better, 
and more and more and more people of many different faiths have been 
able to put down roots and pursue their beliefs freely here. And the 
churches, the synagogues, the mosques, the other institutions of worship 
they have built not only have been their own houses of worship, they 
have also quite frequently become centers of service, compassion, and 
community life and, in so doing, have made our entire Nation stronger.
    Our own experience in America has led the United States to become a 
leader in promoting religious rights throughout the world, as we see 
through the establishment last year of the Secretary of State's advisory 
committee on religious freedom as well as our willingness to press for 
religious freedom at the United Nations and in our bilateral relations 
with other countries across the globe. Last month, Secretary Albright 
released a report that underscores our commitment to helping people of 
all faiths worship

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freely and live free of persecution as a birthright. Our commitment to 
religious liberty is, therefore, and it must remain, a key part of 
America's human rights policy and an important focus of our diplomacy.
    We also continue to find work that we have to do here at home. In 
the 4\1/2\ years I have served as President, nothing has given me 
greater satisfaction than the efforts of our administration, working 
with a broad coalition of individuals and organizations from practically 
every faith, to support religious freedom here. Again let me thank all 
the members of the coalition for your support and for your guidance. And 
let me thank the Vice President for his shared conviction here. I 
especially want to thank Steve McFarland, Marc Stern, Eliot Mincberg, 
Buzz Thomas, and Rabbi David Saperstein for the particular work they 
have done to make today's announcement possible.
    You and the other members of the coalition are the living embodiment 
of what I mean when I talk about one America, people coming together 
across the lines of faith and political conviction and race to protect 
the religious liberties we all cherish. You stood with us in 1993 when I 
was proud to sign the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. I was 
disappointed that the Supreme Court struck down parts of the act in June 
but pleased that its provisions still apply to Federal agencies, 
entities, and institutions. You stood with us in '95 with Secretary 
Riley when we issued the guidelines reaffirming that our young people 
did not have to leave their religious beliefs at the schoolhouse door. 
And we clarified the limits of religious expression permitted in our 
schools. I still say what I said then: No one can seriously question 
that it strengthens our young people to be able to pursue their own 
religious convictions and thereby gain values and strength, hope and 
reassurance that come with faith.
    Today you stand with us again as we issue these guidelines to 
clarify and reinforce the right of religious expression in the Federal 
workplace. These guidelines will ensure that Federal employees and 
employers will respect the rights of those who engage in religious 
speech as well as those who do not. They do three things. First, they 
clarify that Federal employees may engage in personal religious 
expression to the greatest extent possible, consistent with workplace 
efficiency and the requirements of law. Second, they clarify that 
Federal employers may not discriminate in employment on the basis of 
religion. Third and finally, they clarify that an agency must reasonably 
accommodate employees' religious practices.
    Today I'm instructing the Office of Personnel Management to 
distribute these guidelines to all civilian branch agencies and 
officials. And we expect all employees to follow them carefully. What we 
accomplish here together today shows what can be done to protect 
religious freedom within the bounds of our Constitution, when people of 
good will and faith come together.
    My own faith, rooted in the assurance of things hoped for and the 
convictions of things unseen, calls those of us who share it to a 
lifelong effort not only to deepen the understanding of the soul but to 
bring our actions, thoughts, and feelings into harmony with God's will. 
On that journey, as I have said many times in the past, I have been 
immeasurably enriched by the power of the Torah, the beauty of the 
Koran, the piercing insights of the religions of East and South Asia and 
of our own Native Americans, the joyful energy that I have felt in black 
and Pentecostal churches, and yes, even the probing questions of the 
skeptics. That is America at its best.
    My great hope is that we can enter this new century and this new 
millennium as the most successful multiracial, multiethnic, 
multireligious democracy the world has ever known. We will get there 
through efforts like this, men, women from all walks of life coming 
together to respect and celebrate our differences while uniting around 
the ideals that bind us together, more importantly, as one America.
    Religious freedom is at the heart of what it means to be an American 
and at the heart of our journey to become truly one America. Let us 
pledge always to honor it and, today, to make these guidelines the 
source of harmony and strength as we guarantee to all of our people our 
precious liberty.
    Thank you. God bless you.

Note: The President spoke at 10:40 a.m. in Room 450 in the Old Executive 
Office Building. In his remarks, he referred to Secretary of Education 
Richard W. Riley's wife, Ann; Steven T. McFarland, director, Center for 
Law and Religious Freedom, Christian Legal Society; Marc Stern, legal 
counsel, American Jewish Congress; Eliot

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Mincberg, general counsel and legal director, People for the American 
Way; Buzz Thomas, special counsel, National Council of Churches; and 
David Saperstein, director, Religious Action Center and Union of 
American Hebrew Congregations.