Frank Lautenberg: “I quote from this report: Now Barton appears to be angling for a spot on the national stage. He is touring the nation…”

“I quote from this report: Now Barton appears to be angling for a spot on the national stage. He is touring the nation again, this time with financial support from the Republican National Committee as part of what is described as a larger get-out-the-vote effort. As he tours the country, Barton leads pastors in sessions examining the role Christianity played in America's founding and puts forth his usual shaky thesis. But Barton doesn't stop there. Barton's not-so-subtle message is that America's Christian heritage is at risk--and only voting Republican can save it. I want those who hear me across America to pay attention: ``Christian heritage is at risk.'' That means that all the outsiders, all of those who approach God differently but are people who believe in a supreme being; people who behave and live peacefully with their neighbors and their friends. No, this is being put forward as an attempt--a not too subtle attempt--to make sure people understand that America is a Christian country. Therefore, we ought to take the time the majority leader offers us, as Members of the Senate, for a chance to learn more about how invalid the principle of separation between church and state is. I hope the American public sees this plan as the spurious attempt it is. I ask my colleagues if they want to go to a Christian-only spokesman who will tell us about how insignificant the separation between church and state is. The question is fundamental to the Constitution.…”