CNBC co-anchor Andrew Ross Sorkin didn’t like it when Johnson knelt and prayed on the floor of Congress. Sorkin thought the speaker was introducing religion where it didn’t belong. The assumption of the separation of church and state is based on a letter Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1802 to the Danbury Baptist Association of Connecticut. It’s been twisted so people think it means the opposite.
Johnson tries to set the record straight
He spoke about it on the “Squawk Box”.
“The separation of church and state is a misnomer —people misunderstand it. Of course, it comes from a phrase that was in a letter that [Thomas] Jefferson wrote — it’s not in the Constitution. What he was explaining is they did not want the government to encroach upon the church, not that they didn’t want principles of faith to have influence on our public life is exactly the opposite. It’s exactly the opposite.”
George Washington echoed the thoughts in his Farewell address of 1796, “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.”
Lots of misleading headlines. Take a look at what I actually said here: pic.twitter.com/Vw3AHzoRvT
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) November 15, 2023
Johnson backed the thought up
Several Founding Fathers spoke of needing a faith basis in governing. John Adams wrote to the Massachusetts Militia in 1798. “Our constitution is made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other.”
The Speaker emphasized that it’s not a national religion, “They knew that it would be important to maintain our system. And that’s why I think we need more of that — not an establishment of any national religion, but we need everybody’s vibrant expression of faith because it’s such an important part of who we are as a nation.”
Johnson received unanimous support
He was elected October 25 to replace Kevin McCarthy. In his first speech he encouraged members of Congress to use their God-given gifts to serve America. Just before he took the gavel, a photo was posted of them praying for the speaker’s race.
Johnson finished with,
“Faith — our deep religious heritage and tradition is a big part of what it means to be an American. When the founders set the system up, they wanted a vibrant expression of faith in the public square because they believed that a general moral consensus and virtue was necessary to maintain this grand experiment and self-governance. So we created a government of, by, and for the people. We don’t have a king in charge, we don’t have a middleman — so we’ve got to keep morality amongst us so that we have accountability.”
