February 11, 2002: Urge Tennessee General Assembly not to support Voluntary School Prayer Amendment

Dear Friends,

We just learned that HJR0682, a resolution that memorializes Congress to pass a voluntary school prayer amendment to the U.S. Constitution, is scheduled on this evening’s House Consent calendar in the Tennessee General Assembly. The House Consent calendar is used traditionally for legislation that is not controversial (i.e., no debate is anticipated) so that the initiatives can be considered with a package of bills on an up or down vote. However HJR0682 clearly does not fall into that category and we are going to try to get the resolution moved off the Consent calendar and placed in a committee for consideration. We will let you know our success with that. In the meantime, we will need you to contact your House Representative and State Senator and urge them not to support HJR0682 - the Congressional effort to bring prayer to schools. Please read the talking points below and call our office at (615) 320-7142 if you have any questions.

A constitutional amendment is unnecessary.
Public schools are not hostile to student’s religious expression. In fact, voluntary student-sponsored religious clubs operate smoothly in a majority of the nation’s 15,000 school districts as well as students’ ability to pray privately at school. Likewise, the government cannot deny groups’ access to government facilities and parks just because of the religious nature of their expression. Many of the examples of suppression of religious speech are already illegal, and can be addressed under current law.

The impact of this type of amendment would go far beyond what its supporters claim.
A school prayer amendment would allow government officials to make decisions that favor a particular faith. While school employees would not organize prayers, the amendment would allow administrators to impose their religious beliefs by permitting students to hold prayers at mandatory school events. It would also allow public funds to be used by religious institutions.

Please phone, email or fax your Tennessee State Legislators and tell them that you oppose HJR0682. If you don’t have contact information, it can be found on the web at www.congress.org.

Directions for the website:

1. Enter your zip code in the box provided, close to the top of the page, and click “GO.” Your Federal Legislators will appear on the screen.

2. Click on “State” for Tennessee State Legislators.

3. At this point you will either need to know your nine-digit zip code or full street address, enter either in the space provided and click “GO”

4. The names of your Tennessee State Legislators will appear highlighted on the screen.

5. Click on either name and their contact information will be listed.

6. You may even e-mail them directly from this website, simply by clicking on their highlighted web address.

Many thanks. Please let us know what you hear.

Hedy Weinberg, Executive Director