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North Carolina
A Call to Action
By Marge Carpenter
A Call to Action
TRUTH When arriving in Raleigh, Legislators are eager to serve their constituents, but often find many temptations lurking in the halls of the General Assembly. A shield of protection is often sought through the chapel programs.
DEDICATION You may remember the 2001-02 Legislative session as the longest session in history. I remember it as one where I, as a newly elected member of the House, witnessed first hand the high moral standards in government that were set by my in-laws, Senator Bob (R, Macon) and Helen Carpenter. For most of the 16 years as her husband’s Legislative Assistant, Helen Carpenter coordinated the Legislative chapel programs. An opportunity to share in building a spiritual shield of protection and to keep one’s spiritual compass pointed in the right direction could be found in these programs. Chapel services featured guest speakers of a variety of religions; prayers were offered for the sick, and great hymns were sung to praise the Lord. Hymnals, bibles, special prayers and literature from guest speakers, were all available to those who sought refuge in the tiny chapel located between the Senate and House chambers. Helen Carpenter also arranged for worship leaders like Anne Graham Lotz to address an auditorium full of folks; the chapel being too small for all who desired to hear the wisdom of a great Christian leader. Folks praised Helen Carpenter for going the extra mile to organize such inspiring opportunities.
During that time, never once did a Legislator or any other person at the General Assembly approach me about removing items representing Christianity from the chapel.
QUESTION Do you believe it is a coincidence that Senator Tony Rand chose this year, the first time in 16 years without Senator & Mrs. Carpenter in the Senate, to take a swipe at dismantling Christianity at the General Assembly Chapel?
MISCONCEPTION Perhaps Senator Rand is invoking a common misconception referred to as “the separation of church and state”. (It is as common as the myth that there is “no money in the state budget” . . . yet didn’t I just read about Decker’s new state job?) Educated folks realize that the phrase “the separation of church and state” is not written in the Declaration of Independence or the Bill of Rights. Although Thomas Jefferson receives all the credit for this phrase, he actually did not even participate in the writing of the First Amendment. His phrase was written in a letter more than a decade after the First Amendment had been put into law! Furthermore, reference to God actually appears four times in the Declaration of Independence. Well, if history doesn’t serve your purpose, rewrite it! Sadly, the media has touted the phrase so much that some folks believe that there is a law separating church and state!
STATE LAW In all the infinite wisdom of the NC State Board of Education (I jest), North Carolina history was about to be wiped from the school curriculum. That is exactly what a law ratified during the 2001-02 session of the legislature stopped. This new law mandates students to received two courses in NC History – one in elementary and one in middle school. Even more to the point, and quite pertinent to the fiasco of removing items representing Christianity from the Legislative Chapel, this law allows that:
“A local school administrative unit may display on real property controlled by that local school administrative unit documents and objects of historical significance that have formed and influenced the United States legal or governmental system and that exemplify the development of the rule of law, such as . . . the Ten Commandments, . . . “
Imagine that, this bill passed the House 94 to 18 and passed the Senate 44 to 6. This new law allows the posting of a Christian document in a government building. It was supported by an overwhelming majority of both chambers. It was supported by Republicans and Democrats.
SAD BUT TRUE An aside for our far western readers: I was serving in the House in a 2-member district with Rep. Phil Haire (D, Jackson). He was one of the 18 who voted against this bill in the House. That is, he voted against NC History and against local school administrations posting of the Ten Commandments.
COMMENDABLE Senator Tony Rand voted IN FAVOR of posting this Christian document in a government building.
CONCLUSION Now, let’s draw the comparison. Is that not what the Legislative Building is . . . a government building?
Is the Bible not the book containing “The Ten Commandments”?
Didn’t Senator Rand support the posting of The Ten Commandments in public school property?
Therefore, shouldn’t the Bible, at the very least, be allowed in the chapel of a government building?
For Senator Rand to remove bibles, hymnals, and the cross from the Legislative Chapel, all I can do is conclude with a phrase that a current TV host, Dr. Phil McGraw exclaims quite often when perplexed by another’s ridiculous actions, “WHAT WAS HE THINKING?!”
CALL TO ACTION Christians, get active. Find out how your elected officials vote. Demand that Christian values serve as a cornerstone for legislation. Although the Bibles, hymnals, and cross were restored to the chapel, what is next? Do not allow Senator Tony Rand, Representative Phil Haire, or any other elected official to remove our Christian values from our government.
Marge Carpenter
Mdcarpenter2004@charter.net
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