Washington State Religious Liberty
The Family Policy Institute of WA (FPIW) believes that religious observance and faith in God have an overwhelmingly positive impact on society. Just as marriage has a foundational effect on the flourishing of family life, religious observance has a similar effect on community and national life. The fostering of religious observance within a framework of religious freedom is a hallmark of our culture as shaped by our Founding Fathers. In the United States, the Judeo-Christian worldview has provided a sound basis for the flourishing of our national culture and our political system. The FPIW, in the tradition of our Founding Fathers, works to encourage the free worship of God as a great good for individuals, couples, families, communities and the nation.
Religious Liberty
The Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution prohibits the government from interfering with a person's practice of his or her religion. We believe in religious liberty for people of all faiths and of no faith, but we deny that minority religions are entitled to greater protection than members of the country's majority Christian faith. The Family Policy Institute of WA opposes any actions by Federal or state legislatures to curb the freedom of religious expression, or to criminalize under so-called "hate crime" legislation any individual who expresses moral beliefs. We oppose attempts by educational institutions to indoctrinate students in a manner which offends their religious beliefs or penalizes them for expressing those beliefs. Similarly, we oppose attempts in the workplace to sanction those who seek to live their lives in accordance with their religious beliefs. We also oppose the forced privatization of faith, which would strip all religious expression from the public square. Faith-based organizations providing social services to the community should have access to government funding on the same basis as secular non-profit groups, without being asked to give up the religious character of their programs or staff. The FPIW also supports religious liberty around the world as a fundamental human right.
Resources:
- Crackdown on Methodist camp sets ominous precedent by Timothy Dailey, Ph.D.
- Political Correctness Threatens Political Freedom by Timothy Dailey, Ph.D.
- Free Markets, Not Just Freedom of Religion, Threatened by ENDA by Peter Sprigg
- One World, One Dream by William L. Saunders, J.D.
- Talking Points: Thought Crime ('Hate Crime') Laws: Unnecessary And a Threat To Free Speech
- The Other Side of Tolerance - How Homosexual Activism Threatens Liberty by Timothy Dailey, Ph.D. [Brochure]
- Amicus Brief: Pleasant Grove City, Utah, et al., vs. Summum
- Amicus Brief: McCreary County Kentucky v. ACLU of Kentucky
- Amicus Brief: Christian Legal Society v. Walker
- Amicus Brief: Pastor Ake Green
Religion in Public Life
The Family Policy Institute of WA supports the First Amendment to the Constitution, which begins, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . ." The Founders' intention in this was clear--that Congress should not name an official national church or denomination. However, they did not intend a "wall of separation" between all expressions of faith in God and all aspects of public life. Government has no obligation to ignore or deny, and has every right to acknowledge, that the United States was founded, primarily, by Christians, and that our laws and government are rooted in a Judeo-Christian worldview. Citizens, churches, private organizations, and public officials have every right to proclaim their faith in public settings and to bring their religiously-informed moral values to bear in election campaigns and public policy decisions. The FPIW will continue to speak out when bigotry against people of faith, especially Christians (who are the most frequent target), is expressed in the media and in the political sphere.
Resources:
Research on Religion
Religion is the practice of an individual and a community's relationship to God. "Grappling with God," with the big issues of right and wrong, good and evil, and with divine revelation, is one of the big tasks in life and one of the key tasks in the raising of children.
The social sciences are unable to measure the movements of the heart but they can measure observable behavior such as attending church or helping in faith-based volunteer projects. Even these rough measures are yielding significant illustration of the relationship between activity directed to God and myriad benefits to the believer and to neighbors.
From the social science perspective the more an individual practices his religious beliefs the more he thrives in education, health and mental health, marriage and family and the less likely is he to be involved in crime, addiction, abuse or a host of other ills. In purely secular terms (though these fall short of the religious believer's terms) religious practice is a great boon to individuals, families, communities and societies. The FPIW is devoted to unveiling and publicizing these tangible social benefits that flow from the intact married family that worships weekly.
Resources:
- Mapping America by Pat Fagan, Ph.D. [Series]
