Walter B. Jones: “I am back on the floor today, as I was prior to the August break, to talk about freedom of speech in our churches and…”

“I am back on the floor today, as I was prior to the August break, to talk about freedom of speech in our churches and synagogues and mosques of this country. Many people do not realize that from the beginning of this great Nation, until 1954, there was never any restriction of what a minister or a priest or a rabbi might say regarding policy issues, political issues, and actually making reference to the teachings in the Bible and the Torah. But what has happened over the last few years is that there is an element in this country, usually it is the Americans for Separation of Church and State, which is a metaphor, that seem to want to monitor what is being said in our churches and synagogues. This year it seems to be worse than ever before. I want to start my brief remarks about Bishop Smith, a Catholic bishop in New Jersey. On March 27 at St. James Church, Bishop Smith asked why, in our presumably democratic country, Catholic churches fear that the Internal Revenue Service will punish them if they speak out on a politician's positions on issues. I further quote Bishop Smith: ``The first amendment protects the free exercise of religion. Separation of church and state does not mean that the church and its members should not voice or advocate for their positions.'' I say that, Mr. Speaker, because there is a real problem in this country.…”