May 8, 2010
Scales of Justice: Tyranny By The Majority?
My son came home from school the other day with a homework assignment: to make an illustration of justice. He quickly settled upon making a drawing of the scales of justice. Original no, poignant yes.
Even a 5th grader grasps the importance of balance in our justice system and our political processes. If the values of our government are to be upheld we must support the processes which balance the values of the majority against the rights of the minority. Our democracy can only be sustained if the scales of justice remain balanced between these two important aspects of our government.
A recent court case illustrates this concept succinctly. In 1952 President Harry S. Truman created a nation day of prayer: “On which the people of the United States may turn to God in prayer and meditation in churches, groups and as individuals”. Since that time it has been up to each administration to decide how to observe the National Day of Prayer.
The Freedom from Religion Foundation recently brought a court case against the United States and the designated National Day of Prayer. Arguing that it violates our first amendment rights and the separation of church and state. From the point of view of a Sustainable Citizen I agree with The Freedom From Religion’s Foundation.
My reason’s all having nothing to do with my religious beliefs are:
To nationalize a holiday endorsing a religious observation violates a basic tenet of our country: Separation between church and state.
Arguments for the National Day of Prayer include: it is part of our history, the majority of Americans believe in god and our government was founded on christian values. All of these ideas are true, at least in part. According to some polls 95% of Americans believe in god and have no problem with a National Day of Prayer. However, that’s not the point!
The very, very dangerous point is, when our government endorses a religious observation we endorse a private point of view. The next logical step is to endorse a particular religions point of view. If you believe the defenders of the National Day of Prayer don’t want a particular religion endorsed then read what they have to say: http://nationaldayofprayer.org/about it succinctly argues for Christian values and traditions. If we continue down this path logically, then the laws of our country will be based upon the whims of the majority and not the steadfast values the United States of America was founded upon. The next step in this, is those that do not uphold Christian values are somehow “wrong”, “bad” or undesirable.
I believe fervently in religious freedom. Religious freedom can most strongly be protected by keeping our government completely free from endorsing ANY religions practices, traditions or values. Even if the majority of Americans believe in a National Day of Prayer, the place to practice this is not through an endorsement by our government but by the institutions of our religions. Each religion has the RIGHT to declare a “day of prayer” at anytime. They also have the right to come together and support each other in choosing a “National Day of Prayer”. But to allow our government to do so, runs counter to the values that have made our country a beacon of hope for over 200 years. We all have the right to worship as we choose, either in a church, synagogue, mosque, or in a field of flowers. Our government does not have the right to proclaim, require or endorse any religious observation whatsoever. That right must always reside in the heart and mind of each individual American.
Reference Links:
Plaintiffs Brief: http://ffrf.org/uploads/legal/NDPnodismiss.pdf
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/prayerday.asp
Argument in favor of : http://nationaldayofprayer.org/about
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/64205
