Jefferson City, USA - A proposed constitutional amendment that would emphasize the right to pray in public was approved Thursday by the House, even though both sides said people already have that right.
The proposal’s sponsor, Republican Rep. Carl Bearden of St. Charles, said the measure would clarify that Missourians have the right “to gather, to pray and engage in religious expression.” The amendment is needed, he said, because “faith is constantly under attack.”
Critics said the proposal, which would appear on the November ballot, was nothing more than a political gesture by Republicans seeking an issue that would drive conservative Christians to the polls. They complained that putting the measure on the ballot would cost the state more than $50,000.
Rep. Margaret Donnelly, a St. Louis County Democrat, called the proposal “political pandering at its finest.”
The state Constitution already says that Missourians “have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences.”
The proposal would add a section prohibiting state or local government from establishing an official religion, “but a citizen’s right to pray or to express his or her religious belief shall not be infringed.”
The state won’t compose prayers or coerce anyone to participate in religious activity, “but shall ensure public school students their right to free exercise of religious expression without interference,” the proposal says.
The proposal goes on to say that such prayer must be private and voluntary and not disruptive of other policies or standards. To emphasize the right to free exercise of religion, all public schools would be required to display the text of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
House Speaker Rod Jetton, a Marble Hill Republican, conceded that such rights were already protected by the state and federal constitutions. But many people don’t realize it, he said.
Jetton told about attending a school event that included a meal with his third-grade daughter. As the family bowed their heads to pray, his daughter interrupted, saying they couldn’t pray in school. That is wrong, Jetton said.
“Nothing in this bill forces people to pray,” Jetton said. “But here we have a child who is afraid to have a voluntary prayer in school. We want people to know that we have the freedom that, whether it’s before a test or before chow, it’s OK to pray.”
Rep. Barbara Fraser, a St. Louis County Democrat, said the proposal was an effort to inject religion into government.
The proposal seemed aimed at violating the First Amendment’s guarantee that government would be kept separate from religion, Fraser said.
Rep. Trent Skaggs, a North Kansas City Democrat, sought to move the amendment to the August primary ballot. Bearden opposed the move, saying an August vote would have lower turnout and give fewer voters a chance to weigh in on the issue. Skaggs’ proposal failed.
The legislation is House Joint Resolution 39.