WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Louie Gohmert (R-TX) introduced legislation today that seeks to preserve our nation’s religious heritage in the face of politically correct attempts to sterilize America’s rich religious history.
U.S. Representative Louie Gohmert (R-TX) introduced legislation today that seeks to preserve our nation’s religious heritage in the face of politically correct attempts to sterilize America’s rich religious history. The Congressman’s bill would memorialize the tradition of our founding fathers and historical leaders holding church services in various locations within the U.S. Capitol Building.
Gohmert’s
Congressional Hope for Uniform Recognition of Christian Heritage (CHURCH) Act of 2009 will direct the Architect of the Capitol to procure a historical plaque for display in National Statuary Hall to recognize the seven decades of Christian church services that were held in the Capitol from 1800 to 1868. Participants of this historical tradition include President Thomas Jefferson, who within a year of his inauguration began attending church services in the U.S. House Chamber, and President James Madison, who carried on the practice by holding Christian church services in the halls of State during his administration.
Today, despite the rich religious history surrounding the founding of our nation and U.S. Capitol Building, efforts to censor references to these important, defining events and values have stirred significant controversy. Such efforts have even been targeted towards the U.S. Capitol’s new Visitor Center that opened just this year, where reprints and photos of historical documents and monuments displayed within the exhibits were intentionally scrubbed of references to God and other statements with religious connotations – a rewriting of history vigorously opposed by Rep. Gohmert.
However, the Congressman hopes his bill will help protect, as well as raise awareness of, the fascinating facts that illuminate our nation’s religious heritage.
The text of the plaque, which has been verified by the Congressional Research Service, would state:
‘‘The first Christian church services in the Capitol were held when the Government moved to Washington in the fall of 1800. They were conducted in the Hall of the House in the north wing of the building. In 1801, the House moved the church services to temporary quarters in the south wing, called the ‘Oven’, which it vacated in 1804, returning services to the north wing for 3 years. During church services, the Speaker’s podium was used as the preacher’s pulpit.
‘‘Within a year of his inauguration, President Thomas Jefferson began attending church services in the Chamber of the House of Representatives. Throughout his administration (1801—1809), Thomas Jefferson permitted and encouraged church services in executive branch buildings. Sermons regarding the Old and New Testaments of the Bible were even conducted in the Supreme Court chambers while the judicial branch was located in the old north wing of the Capitol.
‘‘The term ‘separation of church and state’, not found in the Constitution, was rather first used by Thomas Jefferson in a letter to the Danbury Baptists. Though Jefferson saw no problem with having nondenominational Christian services in government buildings, he affirmed that the Government should not choose an official Christian denomination. The worship services in the Government-owned House Chamber—a practice that continued until after the Civil War—were acceptable to Jefferson because they were nondiscriminatory and voluntary.
‘‘President James Madison, the recognized author of the Constitution, followed Jefferson’s example. In keeping with Madison’s understanding of the first amendment, church services were permitted in the halls of State on Sundays during his administration (1809—1817). However, unlike Jefferson, who rode on horseback to attend church in the Capitol, Madison traveled in a coach pulled by four horses. The services were interrupted in 1814 after the interior was burned by the British and had to be repaired.
‘‘Preachers of every Christian denomination preached Christian doctrine in this Chamber. On January 8, 1826, Bishop John England (1786–1842) of Charleston, South Carolina, became the first Catholic clergyman to preach in the House of Representatives. The first woman to preach before the House, and likely the first woman to speak officially in Congress under any circumstances, was the English evangelist, Dorothy Ripley (1767–1832), who conducted a service on January 12, 1806.’’
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