May 13, 2002

Baptists urged to speak for
religious liberty despite war
___By John Hall
___Staff Writer
___WACO--As American troops continue their quest to stamp out global terrorism, Baptists should be vigilant in protecting the religious liberties of all people, according to several First Amendment experts.
___Otherwise, religious liberty could become a casualty in the war on terrorism, they predict.
___"Clearly the events of 9/11 have to be taken seriously, and it is important that we look for terrorists. But we should respect the civil and constitutional liberties of all Americans, including the rights of civil and religious liberty," said Brent Walker, executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee in Washington, D.C.
___While acknowledging the nature of the Sept. 11 attack on America may require some scrutiny based on religion, Walker is wary of religious affiliation being the sole determinant.
___Using religion in such a manner also concerns Barry Hankins, associate professor of church-state studies at Baylor University. Acting in such a manner would make the search eerily comparable to the Red Scare of the 1950s, when people were arrested for their political views without reason. Hankins said he fears such simple religious profiling would lead to similar unwarranted arrests.
___As nationalism runs high and 80 percent of the public supports the search for terrorists, there is a tendency to over-generalize and label all Muslims as terrorists, Walker said.
___"In this time of heightened patriotism, war and fear, religious and civil liberties aren't taken as seriously as they should be," he said.
___Baptists must realize that predetermining all Muslims to be terrorists presents a danger to all religious groups, Walker said. Such stereotyping could have a "snowballing effect" that leads to other religious affiliations losing some of their freedom as well.
___"When anyone's religious liberty is denied, everyone's religious liberty is threatened," he said. "When one religion's liberty is taken less seriously, a precedent is set that can be applied to other religions."
___It is up to the public as well as watchdog groups to protect religious liberty, Hankins said. He noted Baptists should be particularly mindful of protecting religious liberty as they have historically taken the role of leading the sometimes "tricky" battle of balancing religious liberty and societal order.
___"Government has lots of power, and government tends to get away with what they can, so it is up to watchdog groups and the judiciary to keep other branches of government in check," Hankins said. "I've never seen a government I thought needed more power when it came to religion.
___"The system isn't set up for a people to blindly trust the government."
___Although Walker and Hankins said they believe the government currently is doing a good job of not infringing on any groups' rights, the ongoing search for terrorists could lead to unforeseen infractions, according to Stephen Stookey, associate professor of church history at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
___"Certainly anything is possible. That's why we need to be vigilant in our watch over our civil liberties," Stookey said.
___"Anyone's liberty denied is everyone's problem."

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