POINT

COUNTERPOINT

Disinvoking Religion

A Place For Faith

Of course, the answer is that Jews
Farmington Hills
may
now recognize that the simple
kay, what public official said
expression
of religious views has never
the following: "As a people,
been a threat. The threat exists in gov-
we need to reaffirm our
ernment mandating religious practice.
faith and renew the dedica-
Jewish organizations have never been
tion of our nation and ourselves to
able to differentiate official policy from,
God and God's purposes." And: "...
let's say, the display of nativity scenes on
remember: The Constitution guaran-
public property or voluntary
tees freedom of religion, not
prayer.
freedom from religion."
.
b
Religion is threaded
Then he added: "Without
throughout
this democracy.
biblical traditions from the
Consider these "violations"
Ten Commandments to the
of separation of church and
"compassion and love and
state: "One nation under
inspiration of Jesus of
God" in our Pledge of Alle-
Nazareth, it could never have
giance; "In God We Trust,"
been written, in our Declara-
the motto on our currency;
tion of Independence, 'We
government funding of
hold these truths to be self-
BERL
clergy in the military; the
evident that all men are creat-
FALBAUM
president/vice president
ed equal.'"
Special to
placing their hands on
No, by God, this was not
the Jewish News
Bibles when taking the oath
the Rev. Jerry Falwell or some
of office; prayers opening
other Christian fundamentalist.
sessions
of
Congress and other state
If it were, the Jewish community,
and
local
government
meetings; wit-
undoubtedly, would be up in arms.
nesses
in
many
courts
swearing with
The speaker, in Detroit, was, by
hands
on
Bibles;
etc.
By
the grace of
Jesus, none other than Vice President
God,
we
have
survived.
mate,
Sen.
Al Gore's Jewish running
In his first "acceptance" speech,
Joseph I. Lieberman.
Lieberman invoked the name of God
His commitment to, and discussion
at least a dozen times
of, religion publicly
—
and at a micro-
have been met by com-
phone
financed with
plete silence — thank
government
funds, a
God — from the tradi-
practice
recently
tional Jewish body
found to be uncon-
politic.
stitutional by the
Well, almost com-
Supreme Court, the
plete silence. Abra-
very court that
ham H. Foxman,
begins its sessions
national director of
with
the invocation,
the Anti-Defamation
"God
save the Unit-
League, immediately
ed
States
and this
fired off a letter,
honorable
court."
demanding that the
senator cool it because
Better Approach
he was "hawking"
What's more, if
religion. So much for
Lieberman is elected,
respect and sensitivity
the purists could be
for religiosity.
faced with a number
of
troubling situa-
Religion's
Place
6
tions.
Foxman aside, Jewish
What if the Jewish
organizations are faced
vice
president
uses
government funds,
with a dilemma: here is a Jewish vice
for
instance,
to
buy
kosher food? It
presidential candidate expressing views
would
certainly
be
legitimate
but a
on religion that, historically, the Jewish
"violation"
according
to
traditional
body politic has been unable to accept
Jewish organizational political think-
in politics. How are they to react?
ing. The possibilities of "violations"
are endless if the Jewish vice presiden-
tial candidate is elected.
Berl Falbaum, a Farmington Hills
The good news, of course, is that
public relations executive and former
Lieberman's election will "force" a
political reporter, teaches journalism at
Vayne State University in Detroit. He
POINT on page 40
can be reached at (248) 7_37-1588.

0

Of course, the
answer is that Jews
may now
recognize that the
simple expression
of religious views
has never been a

threat.

sition 'that morality can be main-
Philadelphia
tained without religion.' "
ust when you thought it was
That is a departure from Democra-
safe to write off Sen. Joe
tic
support for the "high wall" of sepa-
Lieberman as a figure inca-
ration that many — especially in the
pable of changing the direc-
Jewish community — have taken as
tion of political debate in this country,
the guarantor of our freedoms, but
the Democratic candidate for vice
which others with less "separationist"
president stirred things up last week-
ideology believe is too rigid.
end in a speech at a Detroit
Lieberman went on to
church.
remind
his listeners that
In the weeks since his
"there
must
be a place for
nomination, Lieberman had
faith
in
America's
public life
been playing it safe, staying
. . . We know that the Con-
away from many of the
stitution wisely separates
themes that had marked him
church from state, but
as a centrist Democrat. He
remember: the Constitution
backed off of his criticism
guarantees
freedom of reli-
affirmative action and played
gion,
not
freedom
from reli-
down previous differences
JONATHAN S.
gion."
with the Clinton administra-
TOBIN
Lieberman's speech was
tion over the location of the
Special to
an
admirable statement of
U.S. Embassy in Israel.
the Jewish News
the same set of ideas that
But on Aug. 27, at the
supporters of government
Fellowship Chapel, an
aid
to
parents
of students in private
African American church in Detroit,
and
religious
schools
via vouchers —
Lieberman boldly reverted to his cen-
such
as
Lieberman
himself
— have
trist personna by making a statement
put
forward
in
recent
years.
that could signal a change in the way
Had Dick Cheney, the Republican
church-state separation issues are dis-
nominee
for vice president, said the
cussed.
same thing, liberals — and especially
Lieberman told the congregation,
liberal Jews — would
"As a people, we need
have been outraged.
to reaffirm our faith
But, given their need
and renew the dedica-
to support Vice Presi-
tion of our nation
dent Al Gore for
and ourselves to God
president, my guess is
and God's purpose."
that most liberals will
That is unusual
hypocritically give
language for a politi-
Lieberman a pass on
cal candidate. Then,
his separationist
after discarding the
heresy.
liberal consensus on
As it is, the Anti-
church-state separa-
Defamation
League
tion that has gov-
did
fire
off
a
press
erned politics for
release
gently
reprov-
more than a genera-
ing Lieberman, say-
tion, Lieberman went
ing that "appealing to
even further.
voters along religious
lines is contrary to
The "High Wall"
the American ideal
Seemingly going back
. [An] emphasis on
to what lawyers
religion in a political
would call the "origi-
campaign becomes
nal intent" of the founders of our
inappropriate and even unsettling in a
nation, Lieberman noted: "John
religiously diverse society such as
Adams, second president of the Unit-
ours.
ed States, wrote that our Constitution
The ADL claimed that language
b b
was made only for a moral and reli-
such
as Lieberman's "risks alienating
gious people. George Washington
the American people."
warned us never to indulge the suppo-
Of course, they have it completely
wrong. Statements such as Lieberman's
are exactly what the majority of the
Jonathan S. Tobin is executive editor
Americans want to hear and what
of the Jewish Exponent in Philadelphia.
He can be reached via e-mail at
COUNTERPOINT on page 40
jtobin@jewishexponent.com

Statements such
as Lieberman's
are exactly what
the majority of
the Americans
want to hear and
what Democrats .

. . need to say.

2000

39

