No one should have to feel uncomfortable or out of place because the government chooses to hold a public function in a place of worship. That's what happened recently when the Bernalillo County Sherriff's Office decided to hold their new deputys' graduation ceremony at Legacy Church in Albuquerque.
In response, the Bernalillo County Commission has introduced a resolution requiring that all public ceremonies involving county employees be held in public facilities. This is a great resolution for several reasons:
  1. When a government agency holds a public function at a place of religious worship, they implicitly give their endorsement to that particular religious sect. The government should not be in the business of deciding which beliefs are right, wrong or preferred.
  2. There are plenty of government owned, non-religious community centers, public gathering areas and multipurpose stages that can serve as venues for public ceremonies at no additional cost to the tax-payer. These venues are far more appropriate places to hold public ceremonies involving people who hold a diverse, wide range of religious beliefs.
  3. Holding public ceremonies in places of worship makes the government vulnerable to legal challenges. Using tax-payer money defending against a First Amendment lawsuit when appropriate non-religious alternatives exist is a waste. We can't afford to spend the County's limited resources in this way.
Please take the time to write your county commissioners to ask they vote YES on the resolution requiring that all public ceremonies involving county employees be held in public facilities. If you don't know which commissioner represents your district, you can consult the maps below:
Maggie Hart Stebbins, Chair (District 3): wobrien@bernco.gov (Dist. 3 map)
Art De La Cruz, Vice Chair (District 2): dherrera@bernco.gov (Dist 2 map)
Michelle Lujan Grisham (District 1): BCCDistrict1@bernco.gov (Dist. 1 map)
Michael C. Wiener (District 4): ddady@bernco.gov (Dist 4 Map)
Wayne A. Johnson (District 5): kbrown@bernco.gov (Dist. 5 map)