Rep. Williams on religious freedom in the military

Congressman Roger Williams spoke on the House floor in support of religious freedom in the military. Excerpts are below, and video of the speech can be viewed here.

"Mr. Speaker, the First Amendment of the Constitution states "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." Freedom of religion is how we live our faith, not just where we attend worship services.

"But religious freedom doesn't just cover worship services – it covers the exercise of religion. Regrettably, in the last few years many instances of religious intolerance in the military have come to light, specifically targeting Christianity. Soldiers are being told by superiors that they cannot associate themselves with Christian groups and that evangelical Christians are a threat to the United States. These soldiers are told to not associate with, contribute to, or be a part of these Christian groups.

"This is not only an outrage – it's un-American and a direct violation of the Constitution that these men and women have sworn with their lives to uphold. Troops do not take an oath to their superiors, the President, the government, or to Congress. They take an oath to defend the Constitution…which protects their religious liberty. The Department of Defense's rules and regulations protecting these rights need to be enforced. As a whole, the military overwhelmingly respects the rights and religious beliefs of individuals, but these so-called isolated incidents of intimidation and coercion must end now.

"Congress must ensure that every time a man or woman makes the admirable decision to join the military, they are not signing away their First Amendment rights."

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