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November 10, 2000/12 Heshvan 5761, Vol. 53, No.7
A matter of faithEditorialGilbert Mayor Cynthia Dunham, in behalf of the Gilbert Action Interfaith Network, extended a written invitation last month to Gilbert and other East Valley religious institutions to attend an "interfaith summit." The 60 initial invitees were nearly all Christian, except for a Baha'i group and the Jodo Shu Dharma Center.Reportedly in response to questions raised, Dunham has invited two East Valley rabbis to participate in the Nov. 17 event, billed as an opportunity to discuss communitywide character education, a diversity task force and a youth program. The interfaith summit comes in the wake of Dunham's controversial issuing of a mayor's personally designating Nov. 19-26 as Bible Week in the Town of Gilbert. She can act unilaterally - excluding input from town council - because proclamations are deemed "mayoral speech." Her proclamation declares, in part, that the Bible is "one of the foundational texts, the principles of which helped form many aspects of our nation." It concludes: "the Bible is important to many residents in Gilbert and serves as one of their guides to be better citizens of the community." A close reading of the proclamation's carefully worded "whereas" clauses raises concern that in suggesting that the United States' "foundational" document is not the Constitution but the Bible, it is blurring the line between church and state. Singling out the Bible as a guide to good citizenship discounts the worthiness of Americans who treasure the United States for its openness to all religious expressions without governmental interference; further, it excludes Buddhists, Muslims, atheists and others for whom the Bible is not a guide. Underlying Bible Week is an undemocratic subtext equating good citizenship with religious faith. Citizens elect mayors to address challenges of growth, zoning, safety, parks, garbage collection, water delivery and road repair. In confusing issues of governance with matters appropriately left to the faith communities, Dunham is doing a disservice to the city she leads and the diverse citizens she has pledged to serve. |
