Iowa Governor Terry Branstad (R) is planning a four-day Bible-reading marathon in all 99 county courthouses from June 30 to July 3. Earlier this year, Gov. Branstad issued a proclamation calling on all Iowans to participate in the Bible-reading marathon, and in addition he asks all “individuals and families in Iowa to read through the Bible on a daily basis each year until the Lord comes.”
Critics have been quick to point out that Branstad’s proclamation amounts to a clear violation of the U.S. Constitution, and a serious and direct violation of the separation of church and state.
According to the Des Moines Register, “a government official should not use his taxpayer-funded position and resources to promote a specific religious text. The proclamation is not a general call for prayer, which could appeal to people of multiple religions. It states the Bible is “recognized as the one true revelation from God, showing the way of Salvation, Truth, and Life.”
According to Michael Stone, a blogger on Patheos, this amounts to “a state-sponsored, state-sanctioned, promotion of Christianity.”
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Iowa and the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) are investigating the case to see what litigation against the state may be possible.
Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the FFRF, said, “The government is supposed to be neutral toward religion. Can you imagine the uproar if the governor used state resources to encourage people to go to a ‘God is Dead’ rally or a vigil to review how divisive religion is? Everyone can see how inappropriate that would be. This is exactly the same type of violation.”
Rita Bettis, the ACLU of Iowa’s legal director, calls the proclamation “outrageous and embarrassing”, saying that the proclamation is “inconsistent with our core American and Iowan principles of inclusion and respect of all its people of all faiths, as well as those who are not religious. Our U.S. and Iowa state constitutions protect from precisely this sort of government overreaching and endorsement of a particular faith.”
A spokesman for the governor said that Branstad issues many proclamations, which are non-binding. She said that requests for proclamations “come from a broad spectrum of Iowans that reflect the broad diversity of Iowa.”
Photo Credits: Dark Government
