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Indiana General Assembly |
House of Representatives
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| From the Desk of Brian C. Bosma | |||
| Speaker of the House Brian C. Bosma Room 3-7, Statehouse Indianapolis, IN 46204 |
Contact: Tony Samuel |
| June 9, 2005 |
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Dear Editor: Growing up in a family that placed a heavy emphasis on personal faith and public service, I always understood that there was both a connection, and a separation, between the two. As a youngster I never imagined that this understanding might one day be challenged in federal court.
This past week, the Indiana Civil Liberties Union filed suit requesting a federal judge to enjoin me, as Speaker of the House, from allowing prayers referencing the name of Jesus Christ in the Indiana House Chambers. Specifically, the ICLU's Ken Falk argues that prayer in the Statehouse has become too Christian. The ICLU is on the wrong side of an issue once again.
During the course of this session Representatives heard Protestant Ministers, Catholic Priests, a Jewish Rabbi, and a Muslim Imam deliver the invocation of the day, each in accordance with their own words of faith. We even had one guest who chose not to pray, instead speaking of the wisdom of various religious beliefs and cultures. The men and women of faith who volunteered their time were following a tradition of praying before the beginning of legislative work which dates back to at least 1817.
Many of our guests made it clear that their prayer was a matter of personal faith and expression. For example, one minister said, "Father, with great respect for all people that believe differently, I pray in the name of Jesus." Another stated, "While respecting those within the sound of my voice who may adhere to a different faith, I offer this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior." While these individuals expressed their personal faith in Jesus Christ, they showed tolerance and understanding of those who follow a different faith.
In their lawsuit, the ICLU cites 26 specific instances when those offering the invocation chose to pray in the name of Jesus Christ, and that they did so at my sufferance as Speaker of the House. But I did not ask any of them about the content of their prayers beforehand, nor did I coach them to mention Jesus. In fact, all who prayed before our legislative sessions were reminded that Hoosiers are of diverse faiths and were encouraged to be inclusive of all. Has our society grown so intolerant that those who believe they should pray in Jesus' name must be censored? Apparently the ICLU believes so.
In my view, we should instead seek to encourage open discourse and views from all faiths and walks of life. The open and free exchange of beliefs will encourage, rather than discourage, understanding of those who pray or otherwise express themselves in a manner different than our own.
Fundamentally, the ICLU's lawsuit proceeds from a profound misunderstanding of the Establishment Clause. While the framers of the First and Fourteenth Amendments sought to eliminate State-established denominations, they did not intend to prevent people from respectfully expressing their faith in public places. Ironically, the lawsuit brought by the self-declared protector of free speech, the ICLU, seeks to censor people of faith in one of our most important public institutions.
So long as I have the honor of serving as Speaker of the House, I will adamantly defend the right of invited clergy and elected Representatives to speak openly and respectfully regarding their faith if they so choose. We will continue to allow visiting religious leaders of all faiths to freely express their faith in the statehouse, and government will not restrict the content of that speech on my watch. The day that the ICLU dictates the content of speech, or prayer, on the floor of the Indiana House is the day that democracy begins its decline.
Sincerely,
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