After being inaugurated Monday afternoon, newly sworn-in Gov. Robert Bentley told a congregation at Dexter Avenue King Memorial Church that, “If you have been adopted in God’s family like I have, and like you have if you’re a Christian and if you’re saved, and the Holy Spirit lives within you just like the Holy Spirit lives within me, then you know what that makes? It makes you and me brothers. And it makes you and me brother and sister.”
Then Bentley added, ”Now I will have to say that, if we don’t have the same daddy, we’re not brothers and sisters. 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.”
If Bentley had been speaking as a private citizen, his comments would be fine. It is perfectly acceptable for people with faith to reach out to others.
However, Governor Bentley was speaking in his capacity as a high-ranking public official. As even Bentley acknowledged in his inaugural address, he is the Governor of “all of Alabama.”
Turning around and using his position to proselytize shortly thereafter was disrespectful to the significant number of Alabamians who do not share Bentley’s faith.
While Bentley may even believe he is doing people a favor by trying to convert them, his remarks violated a fundamental principle of our democracy: the separation of the clergy from the government. Furthermore, he embarrassed the state, allowing the national media to seize on comments that only reinforce the stereotype of Alabama as a place that is not tolerant of people from different backgrounds.
The governor has every right to exercise his religious believes privately – and even reach out and minister to other citizens. He also has every right to pursue public policies that reinforce our common values, to acknowledge God in public statements and ask God’s blessing on Alabama. However, in a public audience in front of the media, even inside of a church, it is simply inappropriate for the governor to make such a crude distinction between people who share his beliefs and people who do not.
We hope this will be a learning experience for Bentley. We hope he will spend the next four years living up to the words of his own inaugural address. We hope he will work to create a better Alabama for everyone.
We are optimistic. The governor has already issued an apology, indicating that he recognizes the importance of separating his religious devotion from his public responsibilities.
Our View represents the consensus of The Crimson White’s editorial board.
