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New Alabama Governor's Christian Remarks Draw Criticism

By Howard M. Friedman

Yesterday's Huntsville (AL) Times reports on the negative reaction to a statement made by Alabama's new governor, Robert Bentley, at a Martin Luther King Jr. Day commemoration on Monday. TPM covered the Governor's remarks delivered at Montgomery, Alabama's Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. Bentley said: "So anybody here today who has not accepted Jesus Christ as their savior, I'm telling you, 'You're not my brother and you're not my sister, and I want to be your brother.'" The Anti-Defamation League issue a particularly strong statement, saying in part:

It is shocking that Governor Bentley would suggest that non-Christians are not worthy of the same love and respect he professes to have for the Christian community.... Governor Bentley's remarks suggest that he is determined to use his new position to proselytize for Christian conversion.... If he does so, he is dancing dangerously close to a violation of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution....

Gov. Bentley's office issued a statement reading in part: "Gov. Bentley clearly explained in his inaugural address his belief that he is the governor of all of Alabama." [Thanks to Scott Mange for the lead.]

Full post as published by Religion Clause on January 19, 2011 (boomark / email).