Restoring Our Religious Freedom While Preserving Our Baptist Heritage

By Richard Land - Jul 1, 1997 - comment

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This chart attempts to delineate how the three most prominent church-state postures would apply to various situations of religious expression in our society. The ERLC believes that its “accommodation” position is in accord with The Baptist Faith and Message confession’s religious liberty statement (see below) and that the “avoidance” and “acknowledgment” positions are not.

Separationist “Avoidance” PositionEthics & Religious Liberty Commission’s “Accommodation” PositionNeo-Establishment “Acknowledgment” Position
seeks “avoidance” of religious expression in government locales (courts, schools, etc.)seeks government “accommodation” of individuals’ rights to express religious beliefs in government localesseeks government “acknowledgment” for, and on behalf of, “the people” at government expense
opposes tuition tax credits and school vouchers as well as government grants to parochial schoolsallows tuition tax credits and school vouchers to parents for religious schools but opposes any direct government aid to parochial schoolsallows tuition tax credits and school vouchers as well as direct aid to parochial schools
opposes even voluntary prayers by court employees or local clergyallows voluntary prayer by individual judges and court employees, or by local clergy, as long as no community religious groups are excluded from participationwould allow state legislatures to require court prayer and to compose the prayer to be recited in court
opposes government accommodated or acknowledged prayer in public schools, even by studentsseeks government accommodation of each student’s right to participate in student-initiated, student-led prayer according to the dictates of individual conscience in public schools, which protects both majority and minority students’ right to prayseeks government acknowledgment of student-initiated, student-led prayer in public schools, which could allow student majority determined prayer and exclusion of student minority participation
opposes manger scenes or other religious displays (i.e., Ten Commandments) in government locales such as courthouse lawnsallows manger scenes or Ten Commandments in government locales (such as courthouse lawns) as long as privately funded and no community religious group excluded from right to display their symbols as wellallows tax-funded religious displays in government locales determined by the religious majority in each county

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

God alone is Lord of the conscience, and He has left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are contrary to His Word or not contained in it. Church and state should be separate. The state owes to every church protection and full freedom in the pursuit of its spiritual ends. In providing for such freedom no ecclesiastical group or denomination should be favored by the state more than others. Civil government being ordained of God, it is the duty of Christians to render loyal obedience thereto in all things not contrary to the revealed will of God. The church should not resort to the civil power to carry on its work. The gospel of Christ contemplates spiritual means alone for the pursuit of its ends. The state has no right to impose penalties for religious opinions of any kind. The state has no right to impose taxes for the support of any form of religion. A free church in a free state is the Christian ideal, and this implies the right of free and unhindered access to God on the part of all men, and the right to form and propagate opinions in the sphere of religion without interference by the civil power.

Gen. 1:27; 2:7; Matt. 6:6-7, 24; 16:26; 22:21; John 8:36; Acts 4:19-20; Rom. 6:1-2; 13:1-7; Gal. 5:1, 13; Phil. 3:20; 1 Tim. 2:1-2; James 4:12; 1 Peter 2:12-17; 3:11-17; 4:12-19

Excerpt from The Baptist Faith & Message (Adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention as its confession of faith, May 1963)

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Further Learning

Learn more about: Citizenship, Church and State, Religious Liberty, Social Issues

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