The Capitol, Truth, and the Dreaded "R" Word

The new Capitol Visitor’s Center opened in Washington, DC this week, splashed in controversy.

As usual for a government project it was making its debut behind schedule (the original date for completion was January of 2004) and grossly over-budget ($621-million versus a promised $71-million), but those were not the root of the dissension.

The epicenter of the tumult was one of those subjects you supposedly don’t initiate in polite company: religion. According to a number of those who previewed the grand new digs, designed to give dear leaders like Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid relief from the “offensive body odor” of tourists, the place of religion in America’s foundation is nearly invisible.

But I submit the charge isn’t entirely true.

Upon entering, you are confronted with a religious quote—etched in marble—from that towering giant of American history, Rufus Choate.

Yes, the esteemed Rufus.

You say you’ve never heard of him? Well, if you were from the great State of Massachusetts you might have.

Might.

You see, ol’ Rufus was a Congressman, and then Senator, from today’s State of the Walking Brain Dead (present company on this blog excluded, of course) beginning back in the 1830’s. I will leave aside for a moment the question of why we would choose such a prominent location for a statement from such an unknown and unremarkable figure to focus on the religious content of the quote itself.

Here’s what the words etched in stone say: We have built no national temple but the Capitol; We consult no common oracle but the Constitution.

I’m going to do something very un-post-modern here for a moment and actually try to do a simple analysis of what Mr. Choate’s statement communicates. (Yes, I’m one of those archaic people who believes people of the past—for example the writers of the Constitution itself—meant to communicate something specific when they wrote, not just ideas to be reshaped like Gumby when they say something we don’t like.)

Phrase One: We have built no national temple but the Capitol;

Who resides, or is sought, in a temple? If you answered: A God or gods, you show a promising level of intellectual ability.

So in very simple terms, Mr. Choate is apparently communicating a belief that those who reside inside the Capitol are the nation’s gods. Doesn’t that begin to explain a lot of what we’re seeing in America these days; why our Congress-people consider themselves above the law—to BE the law?

Phrase Two: We consult no common oracle but the Constitution.

Ooh, now that’s a delicious irony.

What’s an oracle? One definition is: A command or revelation from God. There we are again. The Constitution, in this man’s view, was a Divine command; the revealed will of gods. Who wrote it: men. The Founders. Those who sat in the halls of power. Men just like Rufus (at least in his own mind, I’m sure).

Apparently Rufus saw himself as some kind of exalted being who should be termed homo-deitus. (At this moment I prefer homo-dufus-Rufus, but that would be unprofessional, even if true.) When I see many of our current leaders on TV I believe the same infection endures on Capitol Hill.

As for the ‘irony,’ when was the last time a Congressman or Senator actually considered the Constitution when producing legislation? More specifically, when was the last time almost any of them contemplated what the Founders themselves intended to communicate in that document?

Back to the religion thing.

Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina was one of those who protested the skewed history depicted in the new Visitor’s Center. In a statement this week he said:

“The Capitol Visitor Center is designed to tell the history and purpose of our nation's Capitol, but it fails to appropriately honor our religious heritage that has been critical to America’s success. While the Architect of the Capitol has pledged to include some references to faith, more needs to be done. You cannot accurately tell the history of America or its Capitol by ignoring the religious heritage of our Founders and the generations since who relied on their faith for strength and guidance. The millions of visitors that will visit the CVC each year should get a true portrayal of the motivations and inspirations of those who have served in Congress since its establishment.

Dr. John Piper, pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis and best-selling author of countless Christian books, said the issue is not one of Christian advocacy. “The point is truth. Caring about that is one of the biggest differences between 1787, when our constitution was written, and now.”

For many it is an inconvenient truth, indeed, that the American experience began as a Church-relocation project when the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. Any unbiased reading of history easily demonstrates that those who initiated the Great Experiment in Liberty did so as an outworking of their belief in the God of the Bible, something now generally seen by the elite of this land an outdated collection of fables.

But…

“Historians are discovering that the Bible, perhaps even more than the Constitution, is our founding document.” Obviously a statement like that came from some right-wing, religious nutcase, correct? Nope. Newsweek Magazine. (Yeah, you know, that noted pro-Christian publication.)

“The general principles upon which the Fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity.” Who said that? Another source who couldn’t know much: John Adams, Second President of the United States.

One more:

“Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens. The mere politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them. A volume could not trace all their connections with private and public felicity. Let it simply be asked: Where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice? And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.“

Apparently the author of these words would differ with a decision to delete reference to the religious nature of America’s founding from a new Capitol Visitor’s Center. In fact, this obviously ignorant, bigoted individual says the person who makes or supports such a decision is not a patriot. How dare he!

Who was this bigot?

George Washington, First President of the United States, and the man widely known as the “Father of the Country.”

Of course, what did he know?

Obviously Rufus Choate was a better choice to highlight in the Capital Visitor’s Center.

Right?