NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — Alberto Gonzales, attorney general of the United States, announced a “First Freedoms Project” in a speech to the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention Feb. 20.
The new Bush administration emphasis apparently will focus on the religious freedoms Americans have by virtue of the First Amendment to the Constitution, instead of focusing on the disputes and controversies that often emerge in the practice of religious liberty.
Gonzales, who was appointed to the position by President Bush in February 2005, distributed a 44-page booklet detailing the scope of religious freedoms in the United States. His speech, which emphasized the religious liberty Americans have historically enjoyed, was received with a standing ovation, according to witnesses.
Gonzales asked for the audience with the Executive Council members, who were meeting at SBC headquarters in Nashville, Tenn. During his speech, he told committee members he had spoken to other faith groups about similar topics and thought the Baptist meeting was a good venue to make the policy announcement.
Another initiative, also called the First Freedoms Project but unrelated to Gonzales' policy, is a partnership between the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, Associated Baptist Press, and the Baptists Today newspaper to emphasize the Christian commitment to First Amendment principles.
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