"This amendment is a disaster of titanic proportions," said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. "The Religious Right may have steered this constitutional garbage scow through the Judiciary Committee, but I'm confident there's an iceberg looming on the House floor."

Constitutional amendments require a two-thirds vote for passage. Lynn said he is optimistic that amendment supporters do not have the necessary votes in the House.

Lynn charged that the amendment would coerce schoolchildren to participate in prayer, force taxpayers to support religious institutions and encourage the display of religious symbols at government buildings.

"This is clearly a payoff to the Religious Right by Newt Gingrich for its support of the Republicans in recent elections," Lynn said. "Playing politics with religion and the Bill of Rights is deplorable."

The amendment (H.J. Res 78) passed the Judiciary Committee March 4 on a 16 to 11 vote along party lines.

Voting for the amendment were Committee Chairman Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.), joined by Reps. F. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), Bill McCollum (R-Fla.), Howard Coble (R-N.C.), Lamar Smith (R-Tex.), Elton Gallegly (R-Calif.), Charles Canady (R-Fla.), Bob Inglis (R-S.C.), Robert Goodlatte (R-Va.), Steve Buyer (R-Ind.), Ed Bryant (R-Tenn.), Bill Jenkins (R-Tenn.), Asa Hutchinson (R-Ark.), Ed Pease (R-Ind.), James Rogan (R-Calif.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).

Voting against were Reps. John Conyers (D-Mich.), Barney Frank (D-Mass.), Jerold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Robert Scott (D-Va.), Melvin Watt (D-N.C.), Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-Tex.), Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), Martin Meehan (D-Mass.), Bill Delahunt (D-Mass.), Robert Wexler (D-Fla.) and Steven Rothman (D-N.J.).

On Thursday, March 5, People for the American Way President Carol Shields also released a special alert about the proposed amendment. She wrote:

"Every person who cares about religious liberty needs to know what happened this week. On Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee took a dangerous step toward eroding the religious liberty of all Americans.

"By a vote of 16 to 11, the committee approved the misnamed "Religious Freedom Amendment," sponsored by Rep. Ernest Istook, R-Oklahoma. A vote on the Istook Amendment could occur on the floor of the U.S. House as early as next week.

"Istook's amendment would dismantle the wall of separation of church and state. Americans would no longer be able to rely on the First Amendment to protect their religious liberty. The Istook amendment would subject public school children to sectarian prayer, and permit taxpayers to fund religious schools.

"We know the Christian Coalition is pushing for a vote so that they can target members of Congress with their distorted voter guides. They've pledged to distribute 45 million voter guides this year. That's what this is about.

"Please call your representative in Congress and tell her or him to vote "No" when the Istook Amendment comes up for debate. Religious liberty--not religious coercion -- is the American way."