President Reagan's Speech
"The Evil Empire"
[1] President Reagan: Thank you…[Applause]…Thank you very much…Thank you very
much…[Applause subsides]…Thank you very much…and, Reverend Clergy all, and
Senator Hawkins, distinguished members of the Florida congressional delegation,
and all of you:
[2] I can’t tell you how you have warmed my heart with your welcome. I’m
delighted to be here today.
[3] Those of you in the National Association of Evangelicals are known for
your spiritual and humanitarian work. And I would be especially remiss if I
didn’t discharge right now one personal debt of gratitude. Thank you for your
prayers. Nancy and I have felt their presence many times in many ways. And
believe me, for us they’ve made all the difference.
[4] The other day in the East Room of the White House at a meeting there,
someone asked me whether I was aware of all the people out there who were
praying for the President. And I, had to say, “Yes, I am. I’ve felt it. I
believe in intercessionary prayer.” But I couldn’t help but say to that
questioner after he’d asked the question that–or at least say to them that if
sometimes when he was praying he got a busy signal, it was just me in there
ahead of him. [Laughter] I think I understand how Abraham Lincoln felt when he
said, “I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction
that I had nowhere else to go.”
[5] From the joy and the good feeling of this conference, I go to a political
reception. Now, [Laughter] I don’t know why, but that bit of scheduling reminds
me of a story–[Laughter]–which I’ll share with you:
[6] An evangelical minister and a politician arrived at Heaven’s gate one day
together. And St. Peter, after doing all the necessary formalities, took them in
hand to show them where their quarters would be. And he took them to a small,
single room with a bed, a chair, and a table and said this was for the
clergyman. And the politician was a little worried about what might be in store
for him. And he couldn’t believe it then when St. Peter stopped in front of a
beautiful mansion with lovely grounds… many servants, and told him that these
would be his quarters.
[7] And he couldn’t help but ask, he said, “But wait, how–there’s something
wrong–how do I get this mansion while that good and holy man only gets a single
room?” And St. Peter said, “You have to understand how things are up here. We’ve
got thousands and thousands of clergy. You’re the first politician who ever made
it.” [Laughter and Applause]
[8] But I don’t want to contribute to a stereotype. [Laughter] So I tell you
there are a great many God-fearing, dedicated, noble men and women in public
life, present company included. And yes, we need your help to keep us ever
mindful of the ideas and the principles that brought us into the public arena in
the first place. The basis of those ideals and principles is… a commitment to
freedom and personal liberty that, itself is grounded in the much deeper
realization that freedom prospers only where the blessings of God are avidly
(mispronounces and corrects himself) sought and humbly accepted.
[9] The American experiment in democracy rests on this insight. Its discovery
was the great triumph of our Founding Fathers, voiced by William Penn when he
said: “If we will not be governed by God, we must be governed by tyrants.”
Explaining the inalienable rights of men, Jefferson said, “The God who gave us
life, gave us liberty at the same time.” And it was George Washington who said
that “of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity,
religion and morality are indispensable supports.”
[10] And finally, that shrewdest of all observers of American democracy,
Alexis de Tocqueville, put it eloquently, after he had gone on a search for the
secret of America’s greatness and genius–and he said: “Not until I went into the
churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I
understand the greatness and the genius of America. America is good. And if
America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.” [Applause]
[11] Well, I’m… [Applause] ..Well, I’m pleased to be here today with you who
are keeping America great by keeping her good. Only through your work and
prayers and those of millions of others can we hope to survive this perilous
century and keep alive this experiment in liberty, this last, best hope of
man.
[12] I want you to know that this administration is motivated by a political
philosophy that sees the greatness of America in you, her people, and in your
families, churches, neighborhoods, communities–the institutions that foster and
nourish values like concern for others and respect for the rule of law under
God.
[13] Now, I don’t have to tell you that this puts us in opposition to, or at
least out of step with, a–a prevailing attitude of many who have turned to a
modern-day secularism, discarding the tried and time-tested values upon which
our very civilization is based. No matter how well intentioned, their value
system is radically different from that of most Americans. And while they
proclaim that they’re freeing us from superstitions of the past, they’ve taken
upon themselves the job of superintending us by government rule and regulation.
Sometimes their voices are louder than ours, but they are not yet a majority.
[Applause]
[14] An example of that vocal superiority is evident in a controversy now
going on in Washington. And since I’m involved, I’ve been waiting to hear from
the parents of young America. How far are they willing to go in giving to
government their prerogatives as parents?
[15] Let me state the case as briefly and simply as I can. An organization of
citizens, sincerely motivated, deeply concerned about the increase in
illegitimate births and abortions involving girls well below the age of consent,
some time ago established a nationwide network of clinics to offer help to these
girls and, hopefully, alleviate this situation. Now, again, let me say, I do not
fault their intent. However, in their well-intentioned effort, these clinics
decided to provide advice and birth control drugs and devices to underage girls
without the knowledge of their parents.
[16] For some years now, the federal government has helped with funds to
subsidize these clinics. In providing for this, the Congress decreed that every
effort would be made to maximize parental participation. Nevertheless, the drugs
and devices are prescribed without getting parental consent or giving
notification after they’ve done so. Girls termed “sexually active”–and that has
replaced the word “promiscuous”–are given this help in order to prevent
illegitimate worth/birth (quickly corrects himself) eh or abortion.
[17] Well, we have ordered clinics receiving federal funds to notify the
parents such help has been given. [Applause] One of the nation’s leading
newspapers has created the term “squeal rule” in editorializing against us for
doing this, and we’re being criticized for violating the privacy of young
people. A judge has recently granted an injunction against an enforcement of our
rule. I’ve watched TV panel shows discuss this issue, seen columnists
pontificating on our error, but no one seems to mention morality as playing a
part in the subject of sex. [Applause]
[18] Is all of Judeo-Christian tradition wrong? Are we to believe that
something so sacred can be looked upon as a purely physical thing with no
potential for emotional and psychological harm? And isn’t it the parents’ right
to give counsel and advice to keep their children from making mistakes that may
affect their entire lives? [Slight crescendo of voice and emphasis--Long
Applause]
[19] Many of us in government would like to know what parents think about
this intrusion in their family by government. We’re going to fight in the
courts. The right of parents and the rights of family take precedence over those
of Washington-based bureaucrats and social engineers. [Applause]
[20] But the fight against parental notification is really only one example
of many attempts to water down traditional values and even abrogate the original
terms of American democracy. Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the
rule of law under God is acknowledged. [Applause] When our founding fathers
passed the First Amendment, they sought to protect churches from government
interference. They never intended to construct a wall of hostility between
government and the concept of religious belief itself. [Murmurs of agreement,
Applause]
[21] The evidence of this permeates our history and our government. The
Declaration of Independence mentions the Supreme Being no less than four times.
“In God We Trust” is engraved on our coinage. The Supreme Court opens its
proceedings with a religious invocation. And the members of Congress open their
sessions with a prayer. I just happen to believe the schoolchildren of the
United States are entitled to the same privileges as [Continues over applause]
Supreme Court Justices and Congressmen.
[22] Last year, I sent the Congress a constitutional amendment to restore
prayer to public schools. Already this session, there’s growing bipartisan
support for the amendment, and I am calling on the Congress to act speedily to
pass it and to let our children pray. [Applause]
[23] Perhaps some of you, read recently about the Lubbock school case, where
a judge actually ruled that it was unconstitutional for a school district to
give equal treatment to religious and nonreligious student groups, even when the
group meetings were being held during the students’ own time. The First
Amendment never intended to require government to discriminate against religious
speech. [Applause]
[24] Senators Denton and Hatfield have proposed legislation in the Congress
on the whole question of prohibiting discrimination against religious forms of
student speech. Such legislation could go far to restore freedom of religious
speech for public school students. And I hope the Congress considers these bills
quickly. And with your help, I think it’s possible we could also get the
constitutional amendment through the Congress this year. [Applause]
[25] More than a decade ago, a Supreme Court decision literally wiped off the
books of fifty states, statutes protecting the rights of unborn children.
Abortion on demand now takes the lives of up to one and a half million unborn
children a year. Human life legislation ending this tragedy will someday pass
the Congress, and you and I must never rest until it does. [Applause] Unless and
until it can be proven that the unborn child is not a living entity, then its
right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness must be protected.
[Applause]
[26] You…You may remember that when abortion on demand began, many, and
indeed, I’m sure many of you, warned that the practice would lead to a decline
in respect for human life, that the philosophical premises used to justify
abortion on demand would ultimately be used to justify other attacks on the
sacredness of human life–infanticide or mercy killing. Tragically enough, those
warnings proved all too true. Only last year a court permitted the death by
starvation of a handicapped infant.
[27] I have directed the Health and Human Services Department to make clear
to every health care facility in the United States that the Rehabilitation Act
of 1973 protects all handicapped persons against discrimination based on
handicaps, including infants. [Applause] And we have taken the further step of
requiring that each and every recipient of federal funds who provides health
care… services to infants must post and keep posted in a conspicuous place a
notice stating that “discriminatory failure to feed and care for handicapped
infants in this facility is prohibited by federal law.” It also lists a
twenty-four-hour; toll-free number so that nurses and others may report
violations in time to save the infant’s life. [Applause]
[28] In addition, recent legislation introduced by–in the Congress–by
Representative Henry Hyde of Illinois not only increases restrictions on
publicly financed abortions, it also addresses this whole problem of
infanticide. I urge the Congress to begin hearings and to adopt legislation that
will protect the right of life to all children, including the disabled or
handicapped.
[29] Now, I’m sure that you must get discouraged at times, but there you’ve
done better than you know, perhaps. There’s a great spiritual awakening in
America, a [Applause]…a renewal of the traditional values that have been the
bedrock of America’s goodness and greatness.
[30] One recent survey by a Washington-based research council concluded that
Americans were far more religious than the people of other nations; 95 percent
of those surveyed expressed a belief in God and a huge majority believed the Ten
Commandments had real meaning in their lives, and another study has found that
an overwhelming majority of Americans disapprove of adultery, teenage sex,
pornography, abortion, and hard drugs, and this same study showed a deep
reverence for the importance of family ties and religious belief.
[31] I [Applause]…I think the items that we’ve discussed here today must be a
key part of the nation’s political agenda. For the first time the Congress is
openly and seriously debating and dealing with the prayer and abortion
issues–and that’s enormous progress right there. I repeat: America is in the
midst of a spiritual awakening and a moral renewal. And with your biblical
keynote, I say today, “Yes, let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like
a never-failing stream.”
[32] Now, [Applause]…obviously, much of this new political and social
consensus I’ve talked about is based on a positive view of American history, one
that takes pride in our country’s accomplishments and record. But we must never
forget that no government schemes are going to perfect man. We know that living
in this world means dealing with what philosophers would call the phenomenology
of evil or, as theologians would put it, the doctrine of sin.
[33] There is sin and evil in the world, and we’re enjoined by Scripture and
the Lord Jesus to oppose it with all our might. Our nation, too, has a legacy of
evil with which it must deal. The glory of this land has been its capacity for
transcending the moral evils of our past. For example, the long struggle of
minority citizens…for equal rights, once a source of disunity and civil war is
now a point of pride for all Americans. We must never go back. There is no room
for racism, anti-Semitism, or other forms of ethnic and racial hatred in this
country. [Long Applause]
[34] I know that you’ve been horrified, as have I, by the resurgence of some
hate groups preaching bigotry and prejudice. Use the mighty voice of your
pulpits and the powerful standing of your churches to denounce and isolate these
hate groups in our midst. The commandment given us is clear and simple: “Thou
shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” [Applause]
[35] But whatever sad episodes exist in our past, any objective observer must
hold a positive view of American history, a history that has been the story of
hopes fulfilled and dreams made into reality. Especially in this century,
America has kept alight the torch of freedom, but not just for ourselves, but
for millions of others around the world.
[36] And this brings me to my final point today. During my first press
conference as president, in answer to a direct question, I pointed out that, as
good Marxist-Leninists, the Soviet leaders have openly and publicly declared
that the only morality they recognize is that which will further their cause,
which is world revolution. I think I should point out I was only quoting Lenin,
their guiding spirit, who said in 1920 that they repudiate all morality that
proceeds from supernatural ideas–that’s their name for religion–or ideas that
are outside class conceptions. Morality is entirely subordinate to the interests
of class war. And everything is moral that is necessary for the annihilation of
the old exploiting social order and for uniting the proletariat.
[37] Well, I think the refusal of many influential people to accept this
elementary fact of Soviet doctrine illustrates an historical reluctance to see
totalitarian powers for what they are. We saw this phenomenon in the 1930s. We
see it too often today.
[38] This doesn’t mean we should isolate ourselves and refuse to seek an
understanding with them. I intend to do everything I can to persuade them of our
peaceful intent, to remind them that it was the West that refused to use its
nuclear monopoly in the forties and fifties for territorial gain and which now
pr-proposes 50 percent cut in strategic ballistic missiles and the elimination
of an entire class of land-based, intermediate-range nuclear missiles.
[Applause]
[39] At the same time, however, they must be made to understand: we will
never compromise our principles and standards. We will never give away our
freedom. We will never abandon our belief in God. [Long Applause] And we will
never stop searching for a genuine peace, but we can assure none of these things
America stands for through the so-called nuclear freeze solutions proposed by
some.
[40] The truth is that a freeze now would be a very dangerous fraud, for that
is merely the illusion of peace. The reality is that we must find peace through
strength. [Applause]
[41] I would a-[Applause continuing]…I would agree to a freeze if only we
could freeze the Soviets’ global desires. [Laughter, Applause] A freeze at
current levels of weapons would remove any incentive for the Soviets to
negotiate seriously in Geneva and virtually end our chances to achieve the major
arms reductions which we have proposed. Instead, they would achieve their
objectives through the freeze.
[42] A freeze would reward the Soviet Union for its enormous and unparalleled
military buildup. It would prevent the essential and long overdue modernization
of United States and allied defenses and would leave our aging forces
increasingly vulnerable. And an honest freeze would require extensive prior
negotiations on the systems and numbers to be limited and on the measures to
ensure effective verification and compliance. And the kind of a freeze that has
been suggested would be virtually impossible to verify. Such a major effort
would divert us completely from our current negotiations on achieving
substantial reductions. [Applause]
[43] I, a number of years ago, I heard a young father, a very prominent young
man in the entertainment world, addressing a tremendous gathering in California.
It was during the time of the cold war, and communism and our own way of life
were very much on people’s minds. And he was speaking to that subject. And
suddenly, though, I heard him saying, “I love my little girls more than
anything–” And I said to myself, “Oh, no, don’t. You can’t — don’t say that.”
But I had underestimated him. He went on: “I would rather see my little girls
die now; still believing in God, than have them grow up under communism and one
day die no longer believing in God.” [Applause]
[44] There were…There were thousands of young people in that audience. They
came to their feet with shouts of joy. They had instantly recognized the
profound truth in what he had said, with regard to the physical and the soul and
what was truly important.
[45] Yes, let us pray for the salvation of all of those who live in that
totalitarian darkness–pray they will discover the joy of knowing God. But until
they do, let us be aware that while they preach the supremacy of the State,
declare its omnipotence over individual man, and predict its eventual domination
of all peoples on the earth, they are the focus of evil in the modern world.
[46] It was C.S. Lewis who, in his unforgettable “Screwtape Letters,” wrote:
“The greatest evil is not done now…in those sordid ‘dens of crime’ that Dickens
loved to paint. It is…not even done in concentration camps and labor camps. In
those we see its final result, but it is conceived and ordered; moved, seconded,
carried and minuted in clear, carpeted, warmed, and well-lighted offices, by
quiet men with white collars and cut fingernails and smooth-shaven cheeks who do
not need to raise their voice.”
[47] Well, because these “quiet men” do not “raise their voices,” because
they sometimes speak in soothing tones of brotherhood and peace, because, like
other dictators before them, they’re always making “their final territorial
demand,” some would have us accept them at their word and accommodate ourselves
to their aggressive impulses. But if history teaches anything, it teaches that
simpleminded appeasement or wishful thinking about our adversaries is folly. It
means the betrayal of our past, the squandering of our freedom.
[48] So, I urge you to speak out against those who would place the United
States in a position of military and moral inferiority. You know, I’ve always
believed that old Screwtape reserved his best efforts for those of you in the
Church. So, in your discussions of the nuclear freeze proposals, I urge you to
beware the temptation of pride–the temptation of blithely..uh..declaring
yourselves above it all and label both sides equally at fault, to ignore the
facts of history and the aggressive impulses of an evil empire, to simply call
the arms race a giant misunderstanding and thereby remove yourself from the
struggle between right and wrong and good and evil.
[49] I ask you to resist the attempts of those who would have you withhold
your support for our efforts, this administration’s efforts, to keep America
strong and free, while we negotiate–real and verifiable reductions in the
world’s nuclear arsenals and one day, with God’s help, their total elimination.
[Applause]
[50] While America’s military strength is important, let me add here that
I’ve always maintained that the struggle now going on for the world will never
be decided by bombs or rockets, by armies or military might. The real crisis we
face today is a spiritual one; at root, it is a test of moral will and
faith.
[51] Whittaker Chambers, the man whose own religious conversion made him a
witness to one of the terrible traumas of our time, the Hiss-Chambers case,
wrote that the crisis of the Western world exists to the degree in which the
West is indifferent to God, the degree to which it collaborates in communism’s
attempt to make man stand alone without God. And then he said, for
Marxism-Leninism is actually the second-oldest faith, first proclaimed in the
Garden of Eden with the words of temptation, “Ye shall be as gods.”
[52] The Western world can answer this challenge, he wrote, “but only
provided that its faith in God and the freedom He enjoins is as great as
communism’s faith in Man.”
[53] I believe we shall rise to the challenge. I believe that communism is
another sad, bizarre chapter in human history whose last–last pages even now are
being written. I believe this because the source of our strength in the quest
for human freedom is not material, but spiritual. And because it knows no
limitation, it must terrify and ultimately triumph over those who would enslave
their fellow man. For in the words of Isaiah: “He giveth power to the faint; and
to them that have no…might He increased strength. But they that wait upon the
Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they
shall run, and not be weary.” [Applause]
[54] Yes, change your world. One of our founding fathers, Thomas Paine, said,
“We have it within our power to begin the world over again.” We can do it, doing
together what no one church could do by itself.
[55] God bless you, and thank you very much. [Long Applause]
much…[Applause subsides]…Thank you very much…and, Reverend Clergy all, and
Senator Hawkins, distinguished members of the Florida congressional delegation,
and all of you:
[2] I can’t tell you how you have warmed my heart with your welcome. I’m
delighted to be here today.
[3] Those of you in the National Association of Evangelicals are known for
your spiritual and humanitarian work. And I would be especially remiss if I
didn’t discharge right now one personal debt of gratitude. Thank you for your
prayers. Nancy and I have felt their presence many times in many ways. And
believe me, for us they’ve made all the difference.
[4] The other day in the East Room of the White House at a meeting there,
someone asked me whether I was aware of all the people out there who were
praying for the President. And I, had to say, “Yes, I am. I’ve felt it. I
believe in intercessionary prayer.” But I couldn’t help but say to that
questioner after he’d asked the question that–or at least say to them that if
sometimes when he was praying he got a busy signal, it was just me in there
ahead of him. [Laughter] I think I understand how Abraham Lincoln felt when he
said, “I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction
that I had nowhere else to go.”
[5] From the joy and the good feeling of this conference, I go to a political
reception. Now, [Laughter] I don’t know why, but that bit of scheduling reminds
me of a story–[Laughter]–which I’ll share with you:
[6] An evangelical minister and a politician arrived at Heaven’s gate one day
together. And St. Peter, after doing all the necessary formalities, took them in
hand to show them where their quarters would be. And he took them to a small,
single room with a bed, a chair, and a table and said this was for the
clergyman. And the politician was a little worried about what might be in store
for him. And he couldn’t believe it then when St. Peter stopped in front of a
beautiful mansion with lovely grounds… many servants, and told him that these
would be his quarters.
[7] And he couldn’t help but ask, he said, “But wait, how–there’s something
wrong–how do I get this mansion while that good and holy man only gets a single
room?” And St. Peter said, “You have to understand how things are up here. We’ve
got thousands and thousands of clergy. You’re the first politician who ever made
it.” [Laughter and Applause]
[8] But I don’t want to contribute to a stereotype. [Laughter] So I tell you
there are a great many God-fearing, dedicated, noble men and women in public
life, present company included. And yes, we need your help to keep us ever
mindful of the ideas and the principles that brought us into the public arena in
the first place. The basis of those ideals and principles is… a commitment to
freedom and personal liberty that, itself is grounded in the much deeper
realization that freedom prospers only where the blessings of God are avidly
(mispronounces and corrects himself) sought and humbly accepted.
[9] The American experiment in democracy rests on this insight. Its discovery
was the great triumph of our Founding Fathers, voiced by William Penn when he
said: “If we will not be governed by God, we must be governed by tyrants.”
Explaining the inalienable rights of men, Jefferson said, “The God who gave us
life, gave us liberty at the same time.” And it was George Washington who said
that “of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity,
religion and morality are indispensable supports.”
[10] And finally, that shrewdest of all observers of American democracy,
Alexis de Tocqueville, put it eloquently, after he had gone on a search for the
secret of America’s greatness and genius–and he said: “Not until I went into the
churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I
understand the greatness and the genius of America. America is good. And if
America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.” [Applause]
[11] Well, I’m… [Applause] ..Well, I’m pleased to be here today with you who
are keeping America great by keeping her good. Only through your work and
prayers and those of millions of others can we hope to survive this perilous
century and keep alive this experiment in liberty, this last, best hope of
man.
[12] I want you to know that this administration is motivated by a political
philosophy that sees the greatness of America in you, her people, and in your
families, churches, neighborhoods, communities–the institutions that foster and
nourish values like concern for others and respect for the rule of law under
God.
[13] Now, I don’t have to tell you that this puts us in opposition to, or at
least out of step with, a–a prevailing attitude of many who have turned to a
modern-day secularism, discarding the tried and time-tested values upon which
our very civilization is based. No matter how well intentioned, their value
system is radically different from that of most Americans. And while they
proclaim that they’re freeing us from superstitions of the past, they’ve taken
upon themselves the job of superintending us by government rule and regulation.
Sometimes their voices are louder than ours, but they are not yet a majority.
[Applause]
[14] An example of that vocal superiority is evident in a controversy now
going on in Washington. And since I’m involved, I’ve been waiting to hear from
the parents of young America. How far are they willing to go in giving to
government their prerogatives as parents?
[15] Let me state the case as briefly and simply as I can. An organization of
citizens, sincerely motivated, deeply concerned about the increase in
illegitimate births and abortions involving girls well below the age of consent,
some time ago established a nationwide network of clinics to offer help to these
girls and, hopefully, alleviate this situation. Now, again, let me say, I do not
fault their intent. However, in their well-intentioned effort, these clinics
decided to provide advice and birth control drugs and devices to underage girls
without the knowledge of their parents.
[16] For some years now, the federal government has helped with funds to
subsidize these clinics. In providing for this, the Congress decreed that every
effort would be made to maximize parental participation. Nevertheless, the drugs
and devices are prescribed without getting parental consent or giving
notification after they’ve done so. Girls termed “sexually active”–and that has
replaced the word “promiscuous”–are given this help in order to prevent
illegitimate worth/birth (quickly corrects himself) eh or abortion.
[17] Well, we have ordered clinics receiving federal funds to notify the
parents such help has been given. [Applause] One of the nation’s leading
newspapers has created the term “squeal rule” in editorializing against us for
doing this, and we’re being criticized for violating the privacy of young
people. A judge has recently granted an injunction against an enforcement of our
rule. I’ve watched TV panel shows discuss this issue, seen columnists
pontificating on our error, but no one seems to mention morality as playing a
part in the subject of sex. [Applause]
[18] Is all of Judeo-Christian tradition wrong? Are we to believe that
something so sacred can be looked upon as a purely physical thing with no
potential for emotional and psychological harm? And isn’t it the parents’ right
to give counsel and advice to keep their children from making mistakes that may
affect their entire lives? [Slight crescendo of voice and emphasis--Long
Applause]
[19] Many of us in government would like to know what parents think about
this intrusion in their family by government. We’re going to fight in the
courts. The right of parents and the rights of family take precedence over those
of Washington-based bureaucrats and social engineers. [Applause]
[20] But the fight against parental notification is really only one example
of many attempts to water down traditional values and even abrogate the original
terms of American democracy. Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the
rule of law under God is acknowledged. [Applause] When our founding fathers
passed the First Amendment, they sought to protect churches from government
interference. They never intended to construct a wall of hostility between
government and the concept of religious belief itself. [Murmurs of agreement,
Applause]
[21] The evidence of this permeates our history and our government. The
Declaration of Independence mentions the Supreme Being no less than four times.
“In God We Trust” is engraved on our coinage. The Supreme Court opens its
proceedings with a religious invocation. And the members of Congress open their
sessions with a prayer. I just happen to believe the schoolchildren of the
United States are entitled to the same privileges as [Continues over applause]
Supreme Court Justices and Congressmen.
[22] Last year, I sent the Congress a constitutional amendment to restore
prayer to public schools. Already this session, there’s growing bipartisan
support for the amendment, and I am calling on the Congress to act speedily to
pass it and to let our children pray. [Applause]
[23] Perhaps some of you, read recently about the Lubbock school case, where
a judge actually ruled that it was unconstitutional for a school district to
give equal treatment to religious and nonreligious student groups, even when the
group meetings were being held during the students’ own time. The First
Amendment never intended to require government to discriminate against religious
speech. [Applause]
[24] Senators Denton and Hatfield have proposed legislation in the Congress
on the whole question of prohibiting discrimination against religious forms of
student speech. Such legislation could go far to restore freedom of religious
speech for public school students. And I hope the Congress considers these bills
quickly. And with your help, I think it’s possible we could also get the
constitutional amendment through the Congress this year. [Applause]
[25] More than a decade ago, a Supreme Court decision literally wiped off the
books of fifty states, statutes protecting the rights of unborn children.
Abortion on demand now takes the lives of up to one and a half million unborn
children a year. Human life legislation ending this tragedy will someday pass
the Congress, and you and I must never rest until it does. [Applause] Unless and
until it can be proven that the unborn child is not a living entity, then its
right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness must be protected.
[Applause]
[26] You…You may remember that when abortion on demand began, many, and
indeed, I’m sure many of you, warned that the practice would lead to a decline
in respect for human life, that the philosophical premises used to justify
abortion on demand would ultimately be used to justify other attacks on the
sacredness of human life–infanticide or mercy killing. Tragically enough, those
warnings proved all too true. Only last year a court permitted the death by
starvation of a handicapped infant.
[27] I have directed the Health and Human Services Department to make clear
to every health care facility in the United States that the Rehabilitation Act
of 1973 protects all handicapped persons against discrimination based on
handicaps, including infants. [Applause] And we have taken the further step of
requiring that each and every recipient of federal funds who provides health
care… services to infants must post and keep posted in a conspicuous place a
notice stating that “discriminatory failure to feed and care for handicapped
infants in this facility is prohibited by federal law.” It also lists a
twenty-four-hour; toll-free number so that nurses and others may report
violations in time to save the infant’s life. [Applause]
[28] In addition, recent legislation introduced by–in the Congress–by
Representative Henry Hyde of Illinois not only increases restrictions on
publicly financed abortions, it also addresses this whole problem of
infanticide. I urge the Congress to begin hearings and to adopt legislation that
will protect the right of life to all children, including the disabled or
handicapped.
[29] Now, I’m sure that you must get discouraged at times, but there you’ve
done better than you know, perhaps. There’s a great spiritual awakening in
America, a [Applause]…a renewal of the traditional values that have been the
bedrock of America’s goodness and greatness.
[30] One recent survey by a Washington-based research council concluded that
Americans were far more religious than the people of other nations; 95 percent
of those surveyed expressed a belief in God and a huge majority believed the Ten
Commandments had real meaning in their lives, and another study has found that
an overwhelming majority of Americans disapprove of adultery, teenage sex,
pornography, abortion, and hard drugs, and this same study showed a deep
reverence for the importance of family ties and religious belief.
[31] I [Applause]…I think the items that we’ve discussed here today must be a
key part of the nation’s political agenda. For the first time the Congress is
openly and seriously debating and dealing with the prayer and abortion
issues–and that’s enormous progress right there. I repeat: America is in the
midst of a spiritual awakening and a moral renewal. And with your biblical
keynote, I say today, “Yes, let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like
a never-failing stream.”
[32] Now, [Applause]…obviously, much of this new political and social
consensus I’ve talked about is based on a positive view of American history, one
that takes pride in our country’s accomplishments and record. But we must never
forget that no government schemes are going to perfect man. We know that living
in this world means dealing with what philosophers would call the phenomenology
of evil or, as theologians would put it, the doctrine of sin.
[33] There is sin and evil in the world, and we’re enjoined by Scripture and
the Lord Jesus to oppose it with all our might. Our nation, too, has a legacy of
evil with which it must deal. The glory of this land has been its capacity for
transcending the moral evils of our past. For example, the long struggle of
minority citizens…for equal rights, once a source of disunity and civil war is
now a point of pride for all Americans. We must never go back. There is no room
for racism, anti-Semitism, or other forms of ethnic and racial hatred in this
country. [Long Applause]
[34] I know that you’ve been horrified, as have I, by the resurgence of some
hate groups preaching bigotry and prejudice. Use the mighty voice of your
pulpits and the powerful standing of your churches to denounce and isolate these
hate groups in our midst. The commandment given us is clear and simple: “Thou
shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” [Applause]
[35] But whatever sad episodes exist in our past, any objective observer must
hold a positive view of American history, a history that has been the story of
hopes fulfilled and dreams made into reality. Especially in this century,
America has kept alight the torch of freedom, but not just for ourselves, but
for millions of others around the world.
[36] And this brings me to my final point today. During my first press
conference as president, in answer to a direct question, I pointed out that, as
good Marxist-Leninists, the Soviet leaders have openly and publicly declared
that the only morality they recognize is that which will further their cause,
which is world revolution. I think I should point out I was only quoting Lenin,
their guiding spirit, who said in 1920 that they repudiate all morality that
proceeds from supernatural ideas–that’s their name for religion–or ideas that
are outside class conceptions. Morality is entirely subordinate to the interests
of class war. And everything is moral that is necessary for the annihilation of
the old exploiting social order and for uniting the proletariat.
[37] Well, I think the refusal of many influential people to accept this
elementary fact of Soviet doctrine illustrates an historical reluctance to see
totalitarian powers for what they are. We saw this phenomenon in the 1930s. We
see it too often today.
[38] This doesn’t mean we should isolate ourselves and refuse to seek an
understanding with them. I intend to do everything I can to persuade them of our
peaceful intent, to remind them that it was the West that refused to use its
nuclear monopoly in the forties and fifties for territorial gain and which now
pr-proposes 50 percent cut in strategic ballistic missiles and the elimination
of an entire class of land-based, intermediate-range nuclear missiles.
[Applause]
[39] At the same time, however, they must be made to understand: we will
never compromise our principles and standards. We will never give away our
freedom. We will never abandon our belief in God. [Long Applause] And we will
never stop searching for a genuine peace, but we can assure none of these things
America stands for through the so-called nuclear freeze solutions proposed by
some.
[40] The truth is that a freeze now would be a very dangerous fraud, for that
is merely the illusion of peace. The reality is that we must find peace through
strength. [Applause]
[41] I would a-[Applause continuing]…I would agree to a freeze if only we
could freeze the Soviets’ global desires. [Laughter, Applause] A freeze at
current levels of weapons would remove any incentive for the Soviets to
negotiate seriously in Geneva and virtually end our chances to achieve the major
arms reductions which we have proposed. Instead, they would achieve their
objectives through the freeze.
[42] A freeze would reward the Soviet Union for its enormous and unparalleled
military buildup. It would prevent the essential and long overdue modernization
of United States and allied defenses and would leave our aging forces
increasingly vulnerable. And an honest freeze would require extensive prior
negotiations on the systems and numbers to be limited and on the measures to
ensure effective verification and compliance. And the kind of a freeze that has
been suggested would be virtually impossible to verify. Such a major effort
would divert us completely from our current negotiations on achieving
substantial reductions. [Applause]
[43] I, a number of years ago, I heard a young father, a very prominent young
man in the entertainment world, addressing a tremendous gathering in California.
It was during the time of the cold war, and communism and our own way of life
were very much on people’s minds. And he was speaking to that subject. And
suddenly, though, I heard him saying, “I love my little girls more than
anything–” And I said to myself, “Oh, no, don’t. You can’t — don’t say that.”
But I had underestimated him. He went on: “I would rather see my little girls
die now; still believing in God, than have them grow up under communism and one
day die no longer believing in God.” [Applause]
[44] There were…There were thousands of young people in that audience. They
came to their feet with shouts of joy. They had instantly recognized the
profound truth in what he had said, with regard to the physical and the soul and
what was truly important.
[45] Yes, let us pray for the salvation of all of those who live in that
totalitarian darkness–pray they will discover the joy of knowing God. But until
they do, let us be aware that while they preach the supremacy of the State,
declare its omnipotence over individual man, and predict its eventual domination
of all peoples on the earth, they are the focus of evil in the modern world.
[46] It was C.S. Lewis who, in his unforgettable “Screwtape Letters,” wrote:
“The greatest evil is not done now…in those sordid ‘dens of crime’ that Dickens
loved to paint. It is…not even done in concentration camps and labor camps. In
those we see its final result, but it is conceived and ordered; moved, seconded,
carried and minuted in clear, carpeted, warmed, and well-lighted offices, by
quiet men with white collars and cut fingernails and smooth-shaven cheeks who do
not need to raise their voice.”
[47] Well, because these “quiet men” do not “raise their voices,” because
they sometimes speak in soothing tones of brotherhood and peace, because, like
other dictators before them, they’re always making “their final territorial
demand,” some would have us accept them at their word and accommodate ourselves
to their aggressive impulses. But if history teaches anything, it teaches that
simpleminded appeasement or wishful thinking about our adversaries is folly. It
means the betrayal of our past, the squandering of our freedom.
[48] So, I urge you to speak out against those who would place the United
States in a position of military and moral inferiority. You know, I’ve always
believed that old Screwtape reserved his best efforts for those of you in the
Church. So, in your discussions of the nuclear freeze proposals, I urge you to
beware the temptation of pride–the temptation of blithely..uh..declaring
yourselves above it all and label both sides equally at fault, to ignore the
facts of history and the aggressive impulses of an evil empire, to simply call
the arms race a giant misunderstanding and thereby remove yourself from the
struggle between right and wrong and good and evil.
[49] I ask you to resist the attempts of those who would have you withhold
your support for our efforts, this administration’s efforts, to keep America
strong and free, while we negotiate–real and verifiable reductions in the
world’s nuclear arsenals and one day, with God’s help, their total elimination.
[Applause]
[50] While America’s military strength is important, let me add here that
I’ve always maintained that the struggle now going on for the world will never
be decided by bombs or rockets, by armies or military might. The real crisis we
face today is a spiritual one; at root, it is a test of moral will and
faith.
[51] Whittaker Chambers, the man whose own religious conversion made him a
witness to one of the terrible traumas of our time, the Hiss-Chambers case,
wrote that the crisis of the Western world exists to the degree in which the
West is indifferent to God, the degree to which it collaborates in communism’s
attempt to make man stand alone without God. And then he said, for
Marxism-Leninism is actually the second-oldest faith, first proclaimed in the
Garden of Eden with the words of temptation, “Ye shall be as gods.”
[52] The Western world can answer this challenge, he wrote, “but only
provided that its faith in God and the freedom He enjoins is as great as
communism’s faith in Man.”
[53] I believe we shall rise to the challenge. I believe that communism is
another sad, bizarre chapter in human history whose last–last pages even now are
being written. I believe this because the source of our strength in the quest
for human freedom is not material, but spiritual. And because it knows no
limitation, it must terrify and ultimately triumph over those who would enslave
their fellow man. For in the words of Isaiah: “He giveth power to the faint; and
to them that have no…might He increased strength. But they that wait upon the
Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they
shall run, and not be weary.” [Applause]
[54] Yes, change your world. One of our founding fathers, Thomas Paine, said,
“We have it within our power to begin the world over again.” We can do it, doing
together what no one church could do by itself.
[55] God bless you, and thank you very much. [Long Applause]