Emory’s John Witte, Jonas Robitscher Professor of Law and director of the Center for the Study of Law and Religion, received the 2008 National First Freedom Award last week for his contributions to religious freedom in the United States.

The awards ceremony was held Wednesday in Richmond, Va., by the Council for America’s First Freedom, an organization that seeks to increase respect for religious freedom in diverse communities. Previous First Freedom Award recipients include Madeleine Albright and Tony Blair.

Robert Seiple, president of the Council for First Freedom, wrote in an e-mail to the Wheel that selecting Witte was an easy decision.

“His scholarship is impeccable, his writing prolific, his insights profound, and his articulation unique. What’s not to like?” Seiple wrote.

Witte was chosen for writings that contributed to the understanding of religious freedom and for his role at the Center for the Study of Law and Religion, Seiple added.

After accepting his award, Witte delivered a speech titled “Superstition of Church and State in America.” In the speech, Witte said that many people believe “separation of church and state” is written in the Constitution, when in reality, the metaphor was coined by Thomas Jefferson in 1802.

“This metaphor has held popular imagination so firmly that many have not noticed that separation of church and state is no longer the law of the land in America,” Witte said.
In an interview, Witte said separation of church and state is important but is overemphasized, causing people to ignore other important principles of religious freedom, such as religious nondiscrimination.

The Supreme Court has recently granted new religious liberties not previously permitted under “separation.” For example, the court has upheld policies that give religious student groups access to public classrooms as long as participation is voluntary and non-religious groups are treated the same way.

Christian prayers and broadcast Bible readings are banned in public schools because students are required to be there. But Witte said, “it is quite another thing to ban moments of silence and private religious speech in these same public schools.”

Law Professor Frank Alexander, the founding director of the Center for the Study of Law and Religion, called Witte a “premier scholar in the world today on the points of intersection of law and religion.”

Witte has been selected 10 times by the students of Emory’s Law School as the Most Outstanding Professor.

“These gifts the students have given me are happy vindications that I am doing the job I should be doing,” Witte said. “I just love doing it — teaching is my highest calling.”

— Contact Mithu Maheswaranathan.