Truth and Tolerance in AmericaWord文档下载推荐.docx

Truth and Tolerance in AmericaWord文档下载推荐.docx

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irealizethatmyvisitmaybealittlecontroversial.butasmanyofyouhaveheard,dr.falwellrecentlysentmeamembershipinthemoralmajority--andididn'

tevenapplyforit.andiwonderifthatmeansthati'

mamemberingoodstanding.

[falwell:

somewhat]

somewhat,hesays.

thisis,ofcourse,anonpoliticalspeechwhichisprobablybestunderthecircumstances.sinceiamnotacandidateforpresident,itwouldcertainlybeinappropriatetoaskforyoursupportinthiselectionandprobablyinaccuratetothankyouforitinthelastone.

ihavecomeheretodiscussmybeliefsaboutfaithandcountry,toleranceandtruthinamerica.iknowwebeginwithcertaindisagreements;

istronglysuspectthatattheendoftheeveningsomeofourdisagreementswillremain.butialsohopethattonightandinthemonthsandyearsahead,wewillalwaysrespecttherightofotherstodiffer,thatwewillneverlosesightofourownfallibility,thatwewillviewourselveswithasenseofperspectiveandasenseofhumor.afterall,inthenewtestament,eventhediscipleshadtobetaughttolookfirsttothebeamintheirowneyes,andonlythentothemoteintheirneighbor¡

seyes.

iammindfulofthatcounsel.iamanamericanandacatholic;

ilovemycountryandtreasuremyfaith.butidonotassumethatmyconceptionofpatriotismorpolicyisinvariablycorrect,orthatmyconvictionsaboutreligionshouldcommandanygreaterrespectthananyotherfaithinthispluralisticsociety.ibelievetheresurelyissuchathingastruth,butwhoamonguscanclaimamonopolyonit?

therearethosewhodo,andtheirownwordstestifytotheirintolerance.forexample,becausethemoralmajorityhasworkedwithmembersofdifferentdenomination,onefundamentalistgrouphasdenounceddr.[jerry]falwellforhasteningtheecumenicalchurchandfor¡

°

yokingtogetherwithromancatholics,mormons,andothers.¡

±

iamrelievedthatdr.falwelldoesnotregardthatasasin,andonthisissue,hehimselfhasbecomethetargetofnarrowprejudice.whenpeopleagreeonpublicpolicy,theyoughttobeabletoworktogether,evenwhiletheyworshipindiverseways.fortrulyweareallyokedtogetherasamericans,andtheyokeisthehappyoneofindividualfreedomandmutualrespect.

butinsayingthat,wecannotandshouldnotturnasidefromadeeperandmorepressingquestion--whichiswhetherandhowreligionshouldinfluencegovernment.agenerationago,apresidentialcandidatehadtoprovehisindependenceofunduereligiousinfluenceinpubliclife,andhehadtodosopartlyattheinsistenceofevangelicalprotestants.johnkennedysaidatthattime:

¡

ibelieveinanamericawherethereisnoreligiousblocvotingofanykind.¡

onlytwentyyearslater,anothercandidatewasappealingtoa[n]evangelicalmeetingasareligiousbloc.ronaldreagansaidto15thousandevangelicalsattheroundtableindallas:

iknowthatyoucan¡

tendorseme.iwantyoutoknowiendorseyouandwhatyouaredoing.¡

tomanyamericans,thatpledgewasasignandasymbolofadangerousbreakdownintheseparationofchurchandstate.yetthisprinciple,asvitalasitis,isnotasimplisticandrigidcommand.separationofchurchandstatecannotmeananabsoluteseparationbetweenmoralprinciplesandpoliticalpower.thechallengetodayistorecalltheoriginoftheprinciple,todefineitspurpose,andrefineitsapplicationtothepoliticsofthepresent.

thefoundersofournationhadlongandbitterexperiencewiththestate,asboththeagentandtheadversaryofparticularreligiousviews.incolonialmaryland,catholicspaidadoublelandtax,andinpennsylvaniatheyhadtolisttheirnamesonapublicroll--anominousprecursorofthefirstnazilawsagainstthejews.andjewsinturnfaceddiscriminationinallofthethirteenoriginalcolonies.massachusettsexiledrogerwilliamsandhiscongregationforcontendingthatcivilgovernmenthadnorighttoenforcethetencommandments.virginiaharassedbaptistteachers,andalsoestablishedareligioustestforpublicservice,writingintothelawthatno¡

popishfollowers¡

couldholdanyoffice.

butduringtherevolution,catholics,jews,andnon-conformistsallralliedtothecauseandfoughtvaliantlyfortheamericancommonwealth--forjohnwinthrop¡

s¡

cityuponahill.¡

afterwards,whentheconstitutionwasratifiedandthenamended,theframersgavefreedomforallreligion,andfromanyestablishedreligion,theveryfirstplaceinthebillofrights.

indeedtheframersthemselvesprofessedverydifferentfaiths:

washingtonwasanepiscopalian,jeffersonadeist,andadamsacalvinist.andalthoughhehadearlieropposedtoleration,johnadamslatercontributedtothebuildingofcatholicchurches,andsodidgeorgewashington.thomasjeffersonsaidhisproudestachievementwasnotthepresidency,orthewritingthedeclarationofindependence,butdraftingthevirginiastatuteofreligiousfreedom.hestatedthevisionofthefirstamericansandthefirstamendmentveryclearly:

thegodwhogaveuslifegaveuslibertyatthesametime.¡

theseparationofchurchandstatecansometimesbefrustratingforwomenandmenofreligiousfaith.theymaybetemptedtomisusegovernmentinordertoimposeavaluewhichtheycannotpersuadeotherstoaccept.butoncewesuccumbtothattemptation,westepontoaslipperyslopewhereeveryone¡

sfreedomisatrisk.thosewhofavorcensorshipshouldrecallthatoneofthefirstbookseverburnedwasthefirstenglishtranslationofthebible.aspresidenteisenhowerwarnedin1953,¡

don¡

tjointhebookburners...therighttosayideas,therighttorecordthem,andtherighttohavethemaccessibletoothersisunquestioned--orthisisn¡

tamerica.¡

andifthatrightisdenied,atsomefuturedaythetorchcanbeturnedagainstanyotherbookoranyotherbelief.letusneverforget:

today¡

smoralmajoritycouldbecometomorrow¡

spersecutedminority.

thedangerisasgreatnowaswhenthefoundersofthenationfirstsawit.in1789,theirfearwasoffactionalstrifeamongdozensofdenominations.todaytherearehundreds--andperhapseventhousandsoffaiths--andmillionsofamericanswhoareoutsideanyfold.pluralismobviouslydoesnotandcannotmeanthatallofthemareright;

butitdoesmeanthatthereareareaswheregovernmentcannotandshouldnotdecidewhatitiswrongtobelieve,tothink,toread,andtodo.asprofessorlarrytribe,oneofthenation¡

sleadingconstitutionalscholarshaswritten,¡

lawinanon-theocraticstatecannotmeasurereligioustruth,norcanthestateimposeit."

therealtransgressionoccurswhenreligionwantsgovernmenttotellcitizenshowtoliveuniquelypersonalpartsoftheirlives.thefailureofprohibitionprovesthefutilityofsuchanattemptwhenamajorityorevenasubstantialminorityhappenstodisagree.somequestionsmaybeinherentlyindividualones,orpeoplemaybesharplydividedaboutwhethertheyare.insuchcases,likeprohibitionandabortion,theproperroleofreligionistoappealtotheconscienceoftheindividual,notthecoercivepowerofthestate.

butthereareotherquestionswhichareinherentlypublicinnature,whichwemustdecidetogetherasanation,andwherereligionandreligiousvaluescanandshouldspeaktoourcommonconscience.theissueofnuclearwarisacompellingexample.itisamoralissue;

itwillbedecidedbygovernment,notbyeachindividual;

andtogiveanyeffecttothemoralvaluesoftheircreed,peopleoffaithmustspeakdirectlyaboutpublicpolicy.thecatholicbishopsandthereverendbillygrahamhaveeveryrighttostandforthenuclearfreeze,anddr.falwellhaseveryrighttostandagainstit.

theremustbestandardsfortheexerciseofsuchleadership,sothattheobligationsofbeliefwillnotbedebasedintoanopportunityformerepoliticaladvantage.buttotakeastandatallwhenaquestionisbothproperlypublicandtrulymoralistostandinalongandhonoredtradition.manyofthegreatevangelistsofthe1800swereintheforefrontoftheabolitionistmovement.inourowntime,thereverendwilliamsloanecoffinchallengedthemoralityofthewarinvietnam.popejohnxxiiirenewedthegospel¡

scalltosocialjustice.anddr.martinlutherking,jr.whowasthegreatestprophetofthiscentury,awakenedournationanditsconsciencetotheevilofracialsegregation.

theirwordshaveblessedourworld.andwhonowwishestheyhadbeensilent?

whowouldbidpopejohnpaul[ii]toquiethisvoiceagainsttheoppressionineasterneurope,theviolenceincentralamerica,orthecryingneedsofthelandless,thehungry,andthosewhoaretorturedinsomanyofthedark