RESOLUTION #4 – REGARDING ACTIVIST JUDGES

WHEREAS, the Founding Fathers believed, as we do, that God created us with inalienable rights; and

WHEREAS, we claim and cling to, most especially, the constitutional right of religious liberty and the freedom of expression contained in the First Amendment to the Constitution; and

WHEREAS, ten landmark decisions have been handed down, beginning in 1962, including the Supreme Court restricting prayer in the public schools, through 2004; ruling that same-sex couples may marry under the laws of the state (in this case, Massachusetts); and also including Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court which gives a woman the right to kill her unborn baby for any reason; and

WHEREAS, these decisions are used as precedents upon which future decisions can be based and rationalized; and

WHEREAS, all states are required by Article IV, section 1 of the Constitution to render “full faith and credit” to the laws of all other states, except by act of Congress (e.g. Defense of Marriage Act, 1996); and

WHEREAS, these decisions are steadily eroding our First Amendment rights, and can overturn the will of the people where referendums have been passed by large majorities; striking down laws passed by the elected legislative bodies, both state and national; and attacking the Constitution itself; and

WHEREAS, these decisions result in sinful laws bringing God’s condemnation on our Republic for institutionalizing sin in this manner;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the messengers to the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, meeting in Plano, Texas, October 25-26, 2004, do hereby reaffirm our conviction that our nation was founded and predicated on a fundamental commitment to individual religious liberty as stated in the First Amendment of the Constitution; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we ask our Senators, both from Texas and other states, to confirm only judges who will not “legislate from the bench;” and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we ask the United States Senate to bring presidential judicial nominees to the floor for a vote; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that we call upon the Congress of the United States to exercise its power, granted by the Constitution, to regulate and limit court jurisdiction, which power it has used repeatedly and the courts have accepted.