Members Criticize Omission of Historical Religious Content in Capitol Visitor Centerby Staff
September 30, 2008
WASHINGTON, (christiansunite.com) -- Congressman J. Randy Forbes (VA-04) announced today that 108 Members of Congress, including Members of the Congressional Prayer Caucus, have signed a letter to the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) expressing their concerns with the incomplete historical content in the Capitol Visitor Center regarding our nation's religious history. Among the references to God or religious history omitted from the Capitol Visitor Center is the current national motto, "In God We Trust", which does not appear in any presentation in the Capitol Visitor Center despite its prominent display in the House and Senate Chambers.
"Our concern is not just with the Capitol Visitor Center, but with increasing pattern of attempts to remove references to our religious heritage from our nation's capital. The Capitol Visitor Center is just one example of efforts to censor God, faith, and religion from our historical buildings, documents, and ceremonies," said Forbes. "The Congressional Prayer Caucus has been successful in restoring references to our religious heritage in the past, and we are aiming to do it again now with the Capitol Visitor Center."
Along with the omission of "In God We Trust" are factual inaccuracies regarding Capitol church services and the exclusion of the reference to "religion, morality, and knowledge" in the Northwest Ordinance. In addition, the Capitol Visitor Center includes photos from Earth Day, an AIDS rally, various casino grounds, and factories, but it does not include photos from monumental religious events such as the National Day of Prayer or the March for Life event, attended by thousands annually, among other things.
The Congressional Prayer Caucus has been at the forefront in preventing the obstruction of the phrase "Laus Deo", or "Praise Be to God", at the Washington Monument, fighting attempts of the Architect of the Capitol to censor the word "God" on Congressional flag certificates, and fighting to reverse a decision to strip the mention of God from flag-folding ceremonies at veterans' funerals.
"Historical buildings like the Capitol Visitor Center are there to tell the story of our nation. When religious history is removed from these displays, the American public is not able to observe an accurate depiction of our nation's story," said Forbes. "We owe it to those who have gone before us and to our future generations to provide a complete representation of our nation's heritage. We will continue to fight until this is achieved in the Capitol Visitor Center."
Congressman Forbes is Founder and Chairman of the Congressional Prayer Caucus. To learn more about the Caucus, visit:
www.house.gov/forbes/prayercaucus.htm.
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