IV 
112TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 789 
Reaffirming the importance of religion in the lives of United States citizens 
and their freedom to exercise those beliefs peacefully. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 19, 2012 
Mr. FINCHER submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on the Judiciary 
RESOLUTION 
Reaffirming the importance of religion in the lives of United 
States citizens and their freedom to exercise those beliefs 
peacefully. 
Whereas the first act of Congress in 1774 was a prayer, and 
Congress still begins its daily sessions with prayer today; 
Whereas State conventions from 1787 to 1788 that met to 
ratify the United States Constitution began with prayer; 
Whereas the constitutions of each of the 50 States explicitly 
have recognized or expressed gratitude to God in either 
the preamble or body; 
Whereas every President in United States history has recog-
nized God and religious faith in the public life of the Na-
tion; 
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•HRES 789 IH 
Whereas since the earliest years of the United States, Con-
gress has appropriated money yearly to pay Congres-
sional and military chaplains; 
Whereas Congress passed a law in 1865 to have the phrase 
‘‘In God We Trust’’ engraved on United States coinage 
in 1865; 
Whereas the phrase ‘‘In God We Trust’’ became the national 
motto in 1956 and is prominently displayed in both the 
United States House and Senate Chambers; 
Whereas the Bible is the best-selling book of all time; 
Whereas a Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life survey from 
2007 shows that 92 percent of United States citizens be-
lieve in God and 78.4 percent identify themselves with 
Christianity; 
Whereas of the $298,420,000,000 of charitable contributions 
made in the United States in 2010, 32 percent, or 
$95,880,000,000, went to religious organizations accord-
ing to the National Park Service; 
Whereas, from September 2010 to September 2011, 
64,300,000 people in the United States volunteered and 
33.2 percent did so for religious organizations, the high-
est percentage of all categories according to the Bureau 
of Labor Statistics; and 
Whereas a 2006 to 2007 study by the Association of Religion 
Data Archives shows that 30.3 percent of religious people 
perform charity work, and of that 30.3 percent, 75.9 per-
cent are part of Christian congregations: Now, therefore, 
be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
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•HRES 789 IH 
(1) reaffirms the importance of religion in the 
lives of United States citizens and their freedom to 
exercise those beliefs peacefully; 
(2) recognizes that Judeo-Christian heritage 
has played a strong role in the development of the 
United States and in the lives of many of the Na-
tion’s citizens; 
(3) rejects efforts to remove evidence of Judeo- 
Christian heritage and references to God from public 
structures and resources; and 
(4) expresses support for preserving the free-
dom to exercise religious beliefs in the United 
States. 
Æ 
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