Derek H. Davis

Derek H. Davis is director of the J.M. Dawson Institute of Church/State Studies at Baylor University, Waco, Texas. He also edits the Journal of Church and State. In the following viewpoint, taken from testimony before Congress, Davis argues against a proposed constitutional amendment that would permit organized prayer and other religious practices on public property and prohibit any government discrimination based on religion. Davis contends that such an amendment would jeopardize the separation of church and state, which he believes is integral to the welfare of both religion and government in America. The amendment would also threaten the religious freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment by radically altering its scope and meaning, he concludes.

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