RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AMENDMENT IS PREMATURE

The Christian Coalition and its congressional allies have announced plans to push a constitutional amendment aimed at guaranteeing religious freedom. The proposed religious liberty amendment would affirm the right to religious expression on public property such as schools, courthouses, stadiums and the like. Supporters such as outgoing coalition director Ralph Reed rightly point out that children have been barred from such activities as praying over lunches, reading Bibles on school buses and writing reports on Jesus. "Many in our society have turned away from God, and left our children rudderless," Reed said in endorsing the amendment, which has been introduced by Rep. Ernest Istook, R-Okla.

Others backing the effort, such as the Rev. Earl Jackson, say that it's clear to them that the First Amendment isn't enough. They argue that over the last 30 years, courts and school districts have misinterpreted that amendment, for over 200 years a cornerstone of American liberty. Jackson correctly argues that the Founders established freedom of religion, not freedom from religion. Supporters cite cases such as the ninth grader who received an "F" on a report she wrote about Jesus six years ago. Her family sued in court and lost. Another student says that a teacher wrongly denied her a chance to show to her classmates a videotape of her singing a religious song in church. Her family also lost a court case over the incident.

It was probably inevitable that 30-plus years of official, government-sponsored hostility toward religion would lead to this sort of proposal. It is also possible to see its introduction as a healthy impulse in that some of the vital forces in our culture are reasserting themselves. Still, proponents have a long way to go in convincing Americans that another constitutional amendment needs to be adopted to correct an imbalance that may, over time, be correcting itself.