Thoughts on
religious tolerance by Gerald R. Ford, 38th President of the United State:
"As
we proudly enter a period of celebrating our Bicentennial of independence as a
nation, we must remember that our great traditions of freedom did not suddenly
start in 1776. For more than two centuries before the Liberty Bell rang, the
processes of conflict and compromise were working on this great new continent,
and the impassioned extremes of religious and political rivalry were tested and
were found wanting.
"In
the end, our Founding Fathers sought to establish a new order of society
embodying the principles of tolerance and freedom, of unity in diversity, of
justice with charity.
"So,
the first amendment was written to ensure the perpetuation of the hard-learned
lessons from our colonial history that religious belief can neither be coerced
nor suppressed by government; that a free people must retain the right to hear,
the right to speak, the right to publish and to read, and the right to come
together--all of which had been denied the early American settlers at one time
or another." [1]
President
Ford’s promotion of “tolerance and freedom, of unity in diversity, of justice
with charity” are admonitions to us all today.
In his political life, he lived as well as preached respect and
tolerance: “As far as I'm concerned, there are no enemies
in politics--just temporary opponents who might vote with you on the next Roll
Call.”[2]
If only we had
a political culture today where a passionate discussion – even argument – about
our policies could happen in the afternoon, and the participants get together
for dinner in the evening. It used to
happen – I’ve talked with state representatives who had done it 40 years or so
ago. I’ve seen it happen, where bitter
courtroom rivals share a joke and maybe a beer after a long day in court.
But somewhere
along the way, it not only became permissible, but the rule of the day, to be
as nasty as you can to your opponent.
I had a plaque
on the bench in the Sibley County Courthouse, given to me and all judges by a
trial lawyers group that read: Respect
and decorum: Nothing less will be
tolerated.
Respect and
decorum can again become the standard protocol in our society, if we each
practice it. That is truly a sentiment
with which Gerald R. Ford would have heartily concurred.
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