Recently, the Washington Times weekend edition reported the results of a Gallup Poll released on Jan. 30, entitled "Poll Finds Solid Ties Between Faith, American Well-Being." Well-being means health, confidence, productivity, positive attitudes, concern for others and overall strength.
As expressed, the poll "measures the extent to which Americans believe in God, act out their belief and impact secular America in real terms: in the workplace, in volunteerism, in business dealings." In short, it pictures how our faith, in whatever form, defines who we are and what we do.
Believers are many: 82 percent of the respondents believe in God, while 13 percent more believe in a "universal spirit or higher power." Fully three-quarters say they are Christian, 6 percent are labeled non-Christian, and 18 percent have no religious tradition. A majority – 58 percent – say success in life is "pretty much determined" by religious and spiritual forces. Adds the Times, "Such thinking may have its own rewards: 83 percent said their work 'is helping make the world a better place.'"
In the new Congress, there is a proposal to designate churches, pastors, religious denominations, public interest organizations and other non-profit groups as 'lobbyists’.
There's a good-sounding expressed intent for this proposed legislation designating religious groups lobbyists, as championed for some time by Sen. Ted Kennedy and others. They say they want to curb "hate speech," anything that opposes homosexual goals or acceptance; and they particularly want to stifle the strong influence brought to bear on elections and national policy by "special interests" – including churches, clergy and religious organizations that disagree with their agenda (e.g., U.S. Catholic Bishops).
And here's how they see it working: Lobbyists must register with the government; this new bill expands the definition of "lobbyist" to include any church or organization that strives to influence public opinion! This bill would also drastically affect the operation of churches that speak out on major moral and political issues, and Christian organizations using TV, radio or the Internet to mobilize citizens around an issue. Many churches, especially larger ones with TV and radio ministries, would be subject to registration as "lobbying organizations." Failure to register under this new law could result in criminal prosecution – fines of up to $100,000, and prison sentences of six and in some cases 10 years.
One analysis of the proposed legislation states "… in essence, free speech is forbidden. To regulate and restrict free speech, to effectively stop people from speaking out on the issues, is exactly the opposite of what the Founding Fathers intended when they included in the First Amendment to the Constitution the right 'to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
As Lincoln so beautifully expressed it, our government is supposed to be "of the people, by the people and for the people" – not of, by and for certain biased legislators and jurists.
The two prongs of the legislation are S.B. 1 and H.R. 90. The Senate bill already passed in January, largely "defanged" for now by amendment, thanks in part to alarms rung loudly by some proudly religious grass-roots groups. In the House, the "Full Disclosure in Lobbying Act" is now pending action by the Judiciary Committee.
Is this a good law and/or use of your hard-earned taxpayer dollars?
