Outside groups have reached a consensus on language. The new wording is as follows:
The proposed language is 71 words, reading:
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 equal access to a benefit on account of religion.
Groups sponsoring the amendment include:
- American Conference of Jews and Blacks
- American Family Association
- Americans for Voluntary School Prayer
- American Muslim Council
- Americas Prayer Network
- Christian Action Network
- Christian Coalition
- Christian Voice
- Citizens for Excellence in Education
- Concerned Women for America
- Family Research Council
- Focus on the Family
- Free Congress Foundation
- Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship
- General Council of the Assemblies of God
- International Pentecostal Church of Christ
- National Association of Evangelicals*
- National Clergy Council
- National Baptist Convention USA
- Salvation Army
- Southern Baptist Convention
- Christian Life Commission
- Toward Tradition
- Traditional Values Coalition
- Trinity Global
- U.S. Family Network
- Wallbuilders
- William Murray Report
- Youth for Christ
The National Association of Evangelicals, among others, has the following members:
- Advent Christian General Conference
- Assemblies of God
- Baptist General Conference
- The Brethren Church
- Brethren in Christ Church
- Christian & Missionary Alliance
- Christian Catholic Church
- Christian Church of North America
- Christian Reformed Church in North America
- Christian Union
- Church of God
- Church of God of the Mountain Assembly, Inc.
- Church of the Nazarene
- Church of the united Brethren in Christ
- Churches of Christ in Christian Union
- Conservative Baptist Association
- Conservative Congregational Christian Conf.
- Conservative Lutheran Association
- Elim Fellowship
- Evangelical Church of North America
- Evangelical Congregational Church
- Evangelical Free Church of North America
- Evangelical Friends Int'l of North America
- Evangelical Mennonite Church
- Evangelical Methodist Church
- Evangelical Presbyterian Church
- Evangelistic Missionary Fellowship
- Fellowship of Evangelical Bible Churches
- Fire Baptized Holiness Church of God
- Free Methodist Church of North America
- General Association of General Baptists
- International Church of the Foursquare Gospel
- International Pentecostal Holiness Church
- Mennonite Brethren Churches
- Midwest Congregational Christian Fellowship
- Missionary Church, Inc.
- Open Bible Standard Churches
- Pentecostal Church of God
- Pentecostal Free Will Baptist Church, Inc.
- Presbyterian Church in America
- Primitive Methodist Church
- Reformed Episcopal Church
- Reformed Presbyterian Church of N. America
- The Salvation Army
- Synod of Mid-America
- The Wesleyan Church
Cosponsors and Supporting Groups
Cosponsors of the Religious Freedom Amendment in the U.S. House of Representatives:- Don Young (R-AK)
- Sonny Callahan (R-AL01)
- Terry Everett(R-AL02)
- Bob Riley (R-AL03)
- Robert Aderholt (R-AL04)
- Spencer Bachus (R-AL06)
- Asa Hutchinson (R-AR03)
- Jay Dickey (R-AR04)
- J. D. Hayworth (R-AZO6)
- Wally Herger (R-CA02)
- John Doolittle (R-CA04)
- Richard Pombo (R-CA 11)
- Tom Campbell (R-CA15)
- Gary Condit (D-CAL 8)
- George Radanovich (R-CA19)
- Howard ”Buck“ McKeon (R-CA25)
- Ed Royce (R-CA39)
- Jay Kim (R-CA41)
- Ken Calvert (R-CA43)
- Sonny Bono (R-CA44)
- Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA45)
- Ron Packard (R-CA48)
- Randy Cunningham (R-CA51)
- Duncan Hunter (R-CA52)
- Scott McInnis (R-CO03)
- Bob Schaffer (R-CO04)
- Joel Hefley (R-CO05)
- Joe Scarborough (R-FL01)
- Cliff Steams (R-FL06)
- John Mica (R-FL07)
- Bill McCollum (R-FL08)
- Dave Weldon (R-FL15)
- Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL21)
- Jack Kingston (R-GA01)
- Sanford Bishop (D-GA02)
- Mac Collins (R-GA03)
- John Linder (R-GA04)
- Newt Gingrich (R-GA06)
- Bob Barr (R-GA07)
- Saxby Chambliss (R-GA08)
- Nathan Deal (R-GA09)
- Charlie Norwood (R-GA10)
- Jim Nussle (R-IA02)
- Helen Chenoweth (R-ID01)
- Michael Crapo (R-ID02)
- William Lipinski (D-IL03)
- Philip Crane (R-IL08)
- Dennis Hastert (R-IL14)
- Donald Manzu[Io (R-IL16)
- Ray LaHood (R-IL18)
- David McIntosh (R-IN02)
- Mark Souder (R-IN04)
- Dan Burton (R-IN06)
- Vince Snowbarger (R-KS03)
- Todd Tiahrt (R-KS04)
- Ed Whitfield (R-KY01)
- Ron Lewis (R-KY02)
- Jim Bunning (R-KY04)
- Harold Rogers (R-KY05)
- Bob Livingston (R-LA01)
- W. J.(Billy) Tauzin (R-LA03)
- Jim McCrery (R-LA04)
- John Cooksey(R-LA05)
- Richard Baker (R-LA06)
- Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD06)
- Peter Hoekstra (R-MI02)
- Vernon Ehlers (R-MI03)
- Dave Camp (R-MI04)
- James Barcia (D-MI05)
- Roy Blunt (R-MO07)
- JoAnn Emerson (R-MO08)
- Kenny Hulshof (R-MO09)
- Roger Wicker (R-MS01)
- Chades ”Chip“ Pickering (R-MS03)
- Mike Parker (R-MS04)
- Gene Taylor (D-MS05)
- Rick Hill (R-MT)
- Walter Jones (R-NC03)
- Bill Hefner (D-NC08)
- Sue Myrick (R-NC09)
- Cass Ballenger (R-NC10)
- Charles Taylor (R-NC11)
- Jon Christensen (R-NE04)
- Bill Barrett (R-NE03)
- Christopher Smith (R-NJO4)
- Michael Pappas (R-NJ12)
- Joe Skeen (R-NM02)
- Bill Redmond (R-NM03)
- Floyd Flake (D-NY06)
- Gerald Solomon (R-NY22)
- John McHugh (R-NY24)
- Bill Paxon (R-NY27)
- John Boehner (R-OH08)
- John Kasich (R-OH12)
- James Traficant (D-OH17)
- Bob Ney (R-OH18)
- Steve Largent (R-OK01)
- Tom Coburn (R-OK02)
- Wes Watkins (R-OK03)
- J. C. Watts (R-OK04)
- Ernest Istook (R-OK05)
- Frank Lucas (R-OK06)
- John Peterson (R-PA05)
- Joseph Pitts (R-PA19)
- William Goodling (R-PA19)
- Floyd Spence (R-SC02)
- Lindsey Graham (R-SC03)
- Bob Inglis (R-SC04)
- John Thune (R-SO)
- John Duncan (R-TN02)
- Zach Wamp (R-TN03)
- Van Hilleary (R-TN04)
- Sam Johnson (R-TX03)
- Ralph Hall (D-TX04)
- Pete Sessions (R-TX05)
- Joe Barton (R-TX06)
- William Thomberry (R-TXI3)
- Ron Paul (R-TX14)
- Charles Stenholm (D-TX17)
- Larry Combest (R-TXI9)
- Tom DeLay (R-TX22)
- Henry Bonilla (R-TX23)
- Richard Armey (R-TX26)
- James Hansen (R-UT01)
- Merrill Cook (R-UT02)
- Herbert Bateman (R-VA01)
- Virgil Goode (D-VA05)
- Thomas Bliley (R-VA07)
- Donna Christian-Green (D-VI)
- Jack Metcalf (R-WA08)
- Linda Smith (R-WA03)
- Jennifer Dunn (R-WA08)
- Mark Neumann (R-WI0l)
- James Sensenbrenner (R-WI09)
- Nick Joe Rahall (D-WV03)
- Barbara Cubin (R-WY)
Talking PointsSupporters have reached a consensus.
Supporters of a constitutional amendment to protect religious freedom have reached a consensus. The Religious Freedom Amendment (RFA) has the backing of numerous conservative and religious organizations, more than 100 cosponsors, both Republicans and Democrats, and House leadership.
The RFA would reverse trends of religious restriction.
The RFA would reverse trends of suppressing religious expression, including student-initiated prayers in public schools. The RFA retains the First Amendment's intent that government should not control nor compel religion in America, but should accommodate it the same as other forms of speech.
The RFA would allow student-sponsored prayer, but prohibit government from composing prayers or compelling anyone to join in prayer.
The RFA would allow student-sponsored prayer in public schools, but explicitly prohibits government from composing prayers on their behalf, and from compelling anyone to join in prayer. The extent to which prayers may be involved in a school activity would no longer be different than any other free speech issue, so long as government is simply permitting what students desire, rather than compelling them.
It also assures that no student is required to join in any such activity. But a single objector (or a small number) could no longer censor the religious speech of the other students, so long as they are not compelled to join in such speech. Likewise, a large group of students could not censor the religious speech of a smaller number. Current court decisions have created a ”freedom from hearing“ that improperly supplants ”freedom of speech“. The RFA follows the same standard which the U.S. Supreme Court has applied to the Pledge of Allegiance: No student is compelled to participate, but they are not permitted to silence their classmates simply because they disagree.
Polls show the public supports a constitutional amendment for voluntary school prayer.
Public opinion polls throughout the last 30 years show three-fourths of the American public overwhelmingly support a constitutional amendment to allow voluntary prayer in public schools, and otherwise protect religious liberties from court intrusion.
Government regulation of religious freedoms go far beyond prayer in school.
Government regulation of religious liberties has gone far beyond prayer in school. San Francisco was ordered to take down a cross that had stood in a city park for 63 years. The courts have upheld a zero given to a Tennessee student on her research paper because she chose the life of Jesus as her topic: the U.S. Postal Service has ordered ”Merry Christmas: and “Happy Hanukkah” signs removed from post offices; Edmond, Oklahoma and Stow, Ohio have been forced to revise their city seals, removing crosses which reflected religious heritage of the communities. (More such suits are expected re: state and city seals, flags, etc.) The Internal Revenue Service has banned religious items from workers' personal desktop areas, calling them “intrusive” and directly equating them with sexually-explicit material.
Religious Freedom Facts
