Rev. C. Welton Gaddy Dies at 81
A staunch defender of church/state separation died on June 7. A beautiful obituary appeared in the June 19 New York Times.
Month: June 2023
David French (NYT) “Oklahoma Breaches the Wall Between Church and State”
Columnist David French’s editorial content appeared in the June 12, 2023 edition. Click to read.
Sunday School Every Day
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch republished on June 5, 2023, an editorial from the Kansas City Star that urged Governor Mike Parson not to sign a bill (SB 34) passed in the most recent legislative session. It would allow public schools to offer elective courses on the Bible. We have testified against this bill every time it has been proposed over the last few years, and managed to kill it until 2023. We don’t trust the Christian right nor the legislature to define appropriate boundaries for these courses, which will often be taught in public schools in which a vocal if diminishing Christian majority often dominates. Other religious texts are not included
Board Member Has P-D Letter Published
Our long-time Board member, Rev. Rudy Pulido had his Letter to the Editor published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 1, 2023:
In a fe
w weeks, our nation will celebrate its birthday. America’s foundation is based on the Constitution, which our forefathers refused to accept without the inclusion of the 10 amendments called the Bill of Rights. The first of these rights reads, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibit the free exercise thereof”. In a letter written by Thomas Jefferson to a church group, Jefferson saw the phrase as a wall that separates church and state.
The wall is a unique contribution to the welfare of our country. Without it, people of faith, even those within the Christian faith, could become subject to a particular expression of faith. Because of deep convictions people of faith have about their particular expression, we can easily imagine the chaos that would result from any law written by and in favor of a specific religious group.
We are grateful our nation’s forefathers knew the history of the sufferings of individuals where the separation of church and state was nonexistent and also knew their Bible. Maybe it’s time for some of our legislators and members of the judiciary to pick up a history book and a Bible and read both.
Rev. Rudy Pulido St. Louis