WHEREAS, The First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States guarantees the free exercise of religion while protecting against the establishment of religion; and
WHEREAS, Baptists came to America to seek religious liberty and enjoy the free exercise of religion by conducting their lives in obedience to their Lord Jesus Christ; and
WHEREAS, The free exercise of religion necessarily includes the liberty to honor God in word and deed in every legitimate human activity; and
WHEREAS, Obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ requires Baptists to exercise private and public rights and responsibilities so as to honor God and love their fellow man; and
WHEREAS, The suppression of religious expression in American life is destructive of religious liberty and violates the guarantees of the First Amendment.
Be it therefore RESOLVED, That we, the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention, meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, June 10-12, 1986, declare our support for the full and free exercise of religious liberty and voice our concern about the suppression of religious expression and Christian views in the United States; and
Be it further RESOLVED, That we decry interpretations of Supreme Court rulings which deny the right of voluntary prayer and Bible reading in the public schools, and we call upon state and local school boards, principals, teachers, and others in positions of authority to act as permitted by law and not to suppress or discourage the prayers and religious exercises of students; and
Be it further RESOLVED, That we strenuously object to the growing anti-Christian bias in network television programming and other media, and we urge advertisers to cancel their financial support for any activities that promote such bias; and
Be it further RESOLVED, That we encourage Southern Baptists to become active participants in the political life of this country–at the local, state and federal levels–in order to defend and promote the traditional Judeo-Christian values necessary if America is to survive as a nation founded upon those values; and
BE it finally RESOLVED, That we call upon Southern Baptists to pray for all those who are suffering persecution and ridicule for their commitment to the Lord.