FAITH MONTH
Congressional Record Vol. 171, No. 65
(Senate - April 10, 2025) PDF
Mrs. HYDE-SMITH. Mr. President, Faith Month is designated
every April, bringing together people of faith in prayer, thanksgiving,
and celebration of their faith. I embrace this special month and
commend Concerned Women for America, the Nation's largest public policy
organization for women, and other faith-based organizations for
encouraging people to use this month to actively strengthen their
faith.
Religion is often viewed as a controversial topic, but without
religious faith, there would be no United States of America. Faith is
deeply woven into the fabric of our great Nation. It was a commitment
to faith that led the Pilgrims to flee religious persecution in Europe
and seek freedom in a new land. They were followed by Roman Catholics,
Baptists, Quakers, and Calvinists, all seeking the chance to practice
their faith free from the bonds of a tyrannical government. The
Christian faith profoundly shaped the culture and politics of Colonial
America.
Faith also inspired our struggle for independence. As our founding
documents declare, we are "endowed by [our] Creator with certain
unalienable Rights," and our government is founded on "the Laws of
Nature and of Nature's God." Acknowledging our "reliance on the
protection of divine Providence," we could not be ruled by a King or
taxed by a Parliament without consent. America's Founders created the
first Nation in history not based on shared ethnicity or language, but
rather on the belief that God grants every human being inherent value
and natural rights.
The Founders worked to protect the religious freedom sought by the
first Colonists. They enshrined that freedom in the very First
Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, as well as "the free exercise
thereof." They did not want the state to be separate from the church
as a means to free the state from faith, but to guarantee that
Americans could worship freely and as they chose. A nation founded on
inalienable, God-given rights could not ignore the importance of belief
in God.
The Founders also understood that faith was an indispensable part of
freedom. For a nation to govern itself without a monarch or
authoritarian ruler, its people must be capable of self-government,
exercising their liberty responsibly. They understood that faith
fosters good character, virtue, and self-restraint--qualities that
prevent society from falling into chaos.
Unfortunately, we have seen the proof of this too often in years.
Attacks against faith-based organizations and individuals of particular
religious groups are staggeringly high. Peaceful pro-life advocates
have been unjustly jailed, churches have been vandalized and burned,
and students have faced threats and violence on their college campuses
due to radical protests. The emphasis on race and sexual preference
over merit have undermined our businesses and schools. As faith--and
the moral foundations that come with it--declines, so does the well-
being and stability of our Nation.
Yet when religion is allowed to flourish, communities thrive.
Research shows that faith strengthens the family unit, promotes stable
marriages, and discourages drug abuse and violence. Regular church
attendance is linked to lifting young people out of poverty, and
faithful people tend to be happier and more fulfilled in life.
Our Nation has always been a beacon of hope for those seeking
religious freedom, and today we are enriched by a diverse religious
heritage. This Faith Month, I join Concerned Women for America and
millions of Americans to celebrate our distinctly American foundations.
We honor the right to worship freely and openly, proud of our heritage
as a people of faith. In doing so, we reaffirm our commitment to the
religious liberty principles of our founding and our national motto,
"In God We Trust."