senate resolution no.88

Senator VanderWall offered the following resolution:

A resolution to support the religious liberty of Michigan citizens.

Whereas, The Declaration of Independence affirms that people  are "...endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness..."; and declares that governments derive "their just powers from the consent of the governed..."; and

Whereas, The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States clearly, plainly, and unequivocally  states that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof or abridging the freedom of speech...". The constitutional protection of these bedrock principles of religious liberty and freedom of expression was extended to the actions of the states through the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States; and

Whereas, The Michigan Constitution unambiguously affirms that "[e]very person shall be at liberty to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience"; and that "[t]he civil and political rights, privileges and capacities of no person shall be diminished ... on account of his religious belief" and that "[e]very person may freely speak, write, express and publish his views on all subjects" and "no law shall be enacted to restrain or abridge the liberty of speech..."; and

Whereas, Despite the clear prohibition against government actions infringing upon freedom of expression and the free exercise of religion, religious people and religious organizations have been frequent targets of governmental actions by state and local government officials seeking to limit religious expression and exercise, including by executive orders that close houses of worship, mandates that effectively prohibit religious student athletes from participating in collegiate sports, and policies that exclude religious families and organizations from foster care programs; and

Whereas, Religious expression is essential for maintaining societal morality. As George Washington stated, "Let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle"; and

Whereas, When religious-based ideas inform the public ethic, society benefits greatly. For example, the idea that God created humans in His image, and that all human life has dignity, significantly contributed to ending slavery and advancing the rights of women and minorities. Censuring an idea that is informed by ancient sacred tenets prevents thousands of years of wisdom from informing the public ethic; and

Whereas, In this country, individuals, houses of worship, and religious organizations compelled by their religious beliefs have served the needy, the homeless, widows, and orphans long before government and continue to partner with government to serve our communities. Indeed, this is a vital notion in our pluralistic society: The ability and freedom of Americans of any faith—or no faith at all—to be free to serve in ways consistent with the commitments that inspire their service in the first place; and

Whereas, A moral republic cannot function without religious expression. Government suppression of a citizen’s religious expression or religious exercise sends a bitter chill throughout the citizenry in a republic. Instead of censuring or punishing religious speech or religious conscience, the answer in a republic valuing freedom must always be to foster and support expression; and

Whereas, The test of a functioning moral republic is not only whether government protects speech and religious expression with which it agrees – it is whether government will protect speech and religious expression with which it disagrees. The constitutional liberty here does not protect governments from religious conscience – it protects the exercise of religious conscience from government infringement. When government suppresses or punishes a citizen’s religious expression or conscience, it betrays the fundamental principle of freedom on which our country was founded; and

Whereas, Good governance and civic institutional integrity rest on the virtue of its citizens. Religious ideas support and nurture this virtue and should, therefore, always be permitted within the marketplace of ideas; and

Whereas, It is the duty of elected officials to uphold the Constitution of the United States and the Michigan Constitution; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate, That we support the religious liberty of Michigan citizens; and be it further

Resolved, That we will not infringe upon the ability of citizens to act in accordance with their religious conscience and beliefs; and be it further

Resolved, That we will not tolerate persecution of religious people because of their beliefs; and be it further

Resolved, That we condemn any behavior by government authorities that limits the ability of individuals to express their religious conscience and beliefs; and be it further

Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Governor, the Michigan Attorney General, the Michigan Secretary of State, the President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and the members of the Michigan congressional delegation.