Blog from the Capital

West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd (no relation!) has introduced an amendment to the Constitution that would assert the right to voluntary prayer in public school and at school-related events. Congressman Nick Rahall (D-WV) has introduced identical language now in the House. Because of the language of the amendment:

Nothing in this Constitution, including any amendment to this Constitution, shall be construed to prohibit voluntary prayer or require prayer in a public school , or to prohibit voluntary prayer or require prayer at a public school extracurricular activity.

I sat down at my computer to dutifully argue that this amendment is not needed, that voluntary prayer is already allowed in school; that we do have in this country some disagreements over what constitutes "voluntary" prayer and that this would not in any way solve those disputes. I was going to say that in my opinion nothing new is either allowed nor prohibited necessarily by this, that it would merely serve to muddy the waters.

But instead I can't pass up a statement of the Senator's in response to charges that his amendment amounts to election-year shenanigans. He has actually introduced similar legislation "starting in 1962, but more recently in 1973, 1979, 1982, 1993, 1995 and 1997. " So, he points out,

"I have worked longer on this proposal than Jacob worked for Rachel's hand in the Book of Genesis."

I suppose we'll pull this post back out and recycle it in a couple of years. For more on what religious expression is in fact already allowed in public schools, see the Joint Statement of Current Law, which the Baptist Joint Committee endorses and helped draft.