Haynes brings reason to religious-freedom debate
Commentary
By Charles L. Overby
Chairman and CEO, The Freedom Forum
12.15.99
Freedom of religion is assuming an important role among Freedom Forum priorities.
This is a result of the expanding importance of the First Amendment generally at our foundation, plus the success of Senior Scholar Charles Haynes in working with diverse groups.
Haynes has a passion about freedom of religion. He calls it "the most overlooked challenge for the 21st century." He has established a reputation as an honest broker in disputes involving religion and public policy, particular-ly in debates about religion in public schools. He emphasizes the First Amendment as the vehicle to try to achieve common ground.
"The First Amendment has turned out to be the key," Haynes said. "We are translating First Amendment principles into practical guide-lines for people to resolve their differences."
This approach is working wonders with religious leaders who rarely agree. The latest example is a guide on "The Bible & Public Schools," a document that explains how to teach about the Bible without violating the First Amendment's church-state separation.
Another important publication, written with the endorsement of diverse religious groups, was "A Teacher's Guide to Religion in Public Schools." This guide, being distributed by the Department of Education to every U.S. public school, answers questions like these:
Questions like these have divided communities. Haynes believes some school administrators, faced with heated and divided public opinion, favor cutting off all discussion about religion. But Haynes says that approach keeps students from learning about important elements in history.
Haynes developed his interest in religion and education while at the Harvard Divinity School in the 1970s. "
Public education is where we build our nation, and educators were not dealing with religion at all," he said.
He believes the problem is worsened because public policy leaders don't take religion seriously. "Religion has moved to the margins in the academy, in the media and in the centers where policy is made," he said.
Haynes began to try to bring religious leaders together on a shoestring bud-get. He headed the First Liberty Institute and received a $25,000 grant from The Freedom Forum. Our trustees approved the grant — but with some trepidation that this was involving the foundation in a thicket where it didn't belong.
I was impressed with how Haynes framed the debate. "Our inability to deal with differences in religion was sowing seeds of dissension and destruction," he said. "I was convinced this would be one of the most important issues in the next century, and it was not being discussed at all."
Haynes said it was difficult to get people to look at the specifics of his plans. "When it comes to religion, many people are tone deaf," he said.
When we formed the First Amendment Center, we invited Haynes to become a scholar for nine months to study freedom of religion. Although we normally don't renew such fellowships, we made an exception with Haynes — twice.
He was clearly having an impact. He was assisted by an extraordinary Washington and Tennessee lawyer, Oliver Thomas, who is a consultant for The Freedom Forum.
In 1995, Haynes became a regular, full-time employee with the title of senior scholar. We added Marcia Beauchamp in 1996 to work with Haynes. There was so much activity in the West that we moved Beauchamp to our Pacific Coast Center in San Francis-co. Another full-time staffer will be added next year.
Haynes is optimistic but cautious. He said communities across the country are working out their differences by convening teachers, parents and religious leaders to look carefully at what the First Amendment provides.
"It's a model for a new vision of religion in the public square," he said.
Yet his caution is halting as he cites the religious differences that spawn wars in Bosnia and Kosovo and throughout the world.
"Humanity," he said, "isn't very good at this." History drives this point home. As Americans grow even more diverse with their religions, freedom of religion will be an increasingly important cornerstone of the First Amendment.