Bryan Fischer on the First Amendment

Peter Montgomery, Senior Fellow at People for the American Way, attended the recent "Values Voter Summit" in Washington, D.C. A post at his weblog calls attention to the Christian Nationalist definition of religious liberty given at the summit by Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association:

According to Fischer's interpretation of the First Amendment, here's what religious liberty means: Congress has the liberty to promote religion in any way, as long as it does not single out one Christian sect or denomination and make it the nation’s official religion. That's it.

According to Fischer, "the only entity that is restrained by the First Amendment is the Congress of the United States." Thus, he says, it is "constitutionally impossible" for governors, mayors, city councilmembers, or school administrators to violate the First Amendment. Fischer said the "incorporation doctrine" -- the idea that the Fourteenth Amendment applied First Amendment protections against state governments, is the "most egregious" example of judicial activism.

It would be hard to find a clearer explanation for why these so-called "Values Voters" think they have a right to treat non-Christians are second-class citizens.