Religious History Will be Included in Nation’s Capitol Tour

Capitol Visitor Center Will Now Include Religious Historical Content
By Marian L. Ward
October 29, 2008

Good news actually came from Capitol Hill recently. The Committee on House Administration and the Senate Rules Committee agreed to include references to the United States’ religious heritage in the nearly-completed Capitol Visitor Center (CVC).

The House and Senate Committees were responding to a letter from 108 members of Congress which presented concerns about the omissions in the CVC plans. Representative Randy Forbes (R-Virginia), Founder and Chairman of the Congressional Prayer Caucus, headed the efforts and circulated the letter.

Several concerns of the Members were addressed in the Committees’ announcement. They agreed to the following changes:

· That the phrase “Our Nation’s Motto” be removed from the plaque describing the engraving of E Pluribus Unum;

· That “In God We Trust” be engraved in stone in a prominent location within the Capitol Visitor Center and that the panel describing the engraving include the proper recognition of this phrase as our national motto;

· That the Pledge of Allegiance be engraved in stone in a prominent location within the Capitol Visitor Center.

The Chairman and Ranking Member of the Committee on House Administration have also agreed to research and develop a permanent religious history display. Additionally, they committed to making every effort to make certain the display is constructed in the CVC as soon as possible.

This is very good news in light of the fact that in the first plans there were virtually no references either to God (and some glaring omissions, as addressed above) or our religious heritage as a nation whatsoever. Some of the issues brought up by Rep. Forbes and other Members included:

[The Center] mentions the Pledge of Allegiance, but does not display the Pledge
Does not include items of historical and religious significance like the Aitken Bible of 1782 which was the only Bible ever printed by an act of the United States Congress
Mentions the Preamble to the Constitution but does not display the Preamble
Does not include photos of monumental religious events at the Capitol such as the National Day of Prayer events, the Annual Bible Reading Marathon on the Capitol steps, or the March for Life, for which hundreds of thousands come to D.C. annually

While the decision by the Committees is a victory for faith, it simultaneously exposes a broader agenda. For more than a few decades, we have faced opposition to public expressions of faith. We must remain vigilant so that the truth of our Nation’s history and the understanding of the source of her strength are preserved for future generations.

Other efforts by the Congressional Prayer Caucus resulted in preventing obstruction of the phrase “Laus Deo” (“Praise Be to God”) at the Washington Monument and censoring of the word “God” on Congressional flag certificates.