Representative Ed Perlmutter's Response to WWII Memorial Prayer Criticism
A while back I wrote my US House Representative disagreeing with his vote in favor of putting a Christian prayer on the WWII Memorial in Washington DC. Both my letter and his reply follow:
I write as a constituent to share my disagreement with your vote in favor of S 1044 on the 23rd of June. The World War II Memorial should honor the service of all veterans. It should not mark as privileged the religious view of any single member of the American community—not even that of President Roosevelt.
In my conversations with fellow Americans and in my work educating the public about my own worldview of Humanism and defending it from prejudice, I have found time and time again that what unites us all is our dedication to the common good. We carry out that work whether we invoke deity or human aspiration alone.
Promoting one religious view, as the bill does, makes such cooperation harder by encouraging enmity against minority religions and the non-religious and by further diminishing their visibility as productive citizens. Government neutrality with regard to religious views is essential for combating such evils.
To that end, I would appreciate being put in contact with a member of your legislative staff familiar with religious liberty issues so as to communicate about future opportunities for strengthening religious pluralism.
Thank you for your attention and I look forward to your response.
Thank you for contacting me regarding the World War II Memorial Prayer Act. I appreciate hearing from you on such an important issue because it enables me to better represent the beliefs and values of our district.
The World War II Memorial on the National Mall is one of our national treasures. It honors the sacrifices of the men and women who served our country during that terrible war. The prayer President Roosevelt read to the nation on D-Day reminds us all of the service of that great generation. Recently, this bill passed both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The President will decide whether or not to sign this piece of legislation into law.
Secular, religiously neutral words, like those in the moving Preamble to our Constitution, can and have honored all Americans. No prayer is necessary to do so, and, for many Americans who do not share the religious views given government imprimatur, prayer excludes them.
