Promoting Bible Week Is Not The Mayor's Job

The mayors of Kent and Seattle overstepped the line separating religion and government when they issued official proclamations designating November 22-29, 1998 as "Bible Week," said ACLU-WA Legislative Director Jerry Sheehan, when he learned of the actions.

Each year the Laymen's National Bible Association urges city officials nationwide to proclaim the week of Thanksgiving as "National Bible Week" and to encourage citizens to study the holy scripture. According to the ACLU-WA, government endorsement of a religious text clearly violates the constitutional separation of church and state. The Washington Constitution states, "No public money or property shall be appropriated for or applied to any religious worship, exercise, or instruction . . ."

The issue first caused a minor uproar in 1997 when the acting mayor of Kent issued, then rescinded a Bible Week proclamation after hearing from the ACLU-WA. The mayor of Des Moines withdrew a similar proclamation and reimbursed the city for staff time and materials expended in preparing it. This fall the ACLU of Arizona obtained restraining orders in federal court barring the state of Arizona and the town of Gilbert from issuing Bible Week proclamations. The ACLU-WA is considering legal action against officials who persist in using their public positions to proselytize.

This year Kent mayor Jim White asserted that the proclamation was simply an exercise of his free speech rights. While public officials always have the right to express their views as private citizens, they may not use their public office to advance religion. In a letter to the South County Journal, six Kent City Council members declared that "it is not the job of the city to promote any particular religious text." As an editorial in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer noted, "In America, religion doesn't need the endorsement of government, and that is the best safeguard of religious freedom."

Response from the Seattle mayor's office has been mixed. Efforts to clarify their response are underway.