H.R. 888 Distorts U.S. Secular History

House Res. 888, introduced by Rep. Randy Forbes, R-Va., on Dec. 18 with at least 23 sponsors, seeks to:

"Affirm the rich spiritual and religious history of our Nation's founding and subsequent history and expressing support for designation of the first week in May as 'American Religious History Week' for the appreciation of and education on America's history of religious faith."

Forbes has a 100% voting record on issues of "family, faith and freedom" by the religious-right Family Research Council.

The resolution contains a laundry list of 75 "whereas" clauses, many citing Christian revisionist "history." It has been referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, chaired by liberal Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif.

Following the exhaustive list of claims and facts assembled and twisted to make it appear that the United States was founded with a religious government, the resolution resolves:

"Whereas the first week in May each year would be an appropriate week to designate as 'American Religious History Week': Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the United States House of Representatives--
(1) affirms the rich spiritual and diverse religious history of our Nation's founding and subsequent history, including up to the current day;
(2) recognizes that the religious foundations of faith on which America was built are critical underpinnings of our Nation's most valuable institutions and form the inseparable foundation for America's representative processes, legal systems, and societal structures;
(3) rejects, in the strongest possible terms, any effort to remove, obscure, or purposely omit such history from our Nation's public buildings and educational resources; and
(4) expresses support for designation of a 'American Religious History Week' every year for the appreciation of and education on America's history of religious faith."

To read the entire resolution and track developments, if any, see:

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=hr110-8880