Judge Removed God from Oaths, Complaint Filed

A while ago I wrote about Judge James M. Honeycutt, a district court judge in North Carolina who has insisted on religion-neutral oaths to ensure that courts do not evince a pro-Christian bias. Now, an official complaint has been filed against him because people simply don’t approve of the government being neutral.

The Winston-Salem Journal reports:

Several county officials said they plan to file a complaint today with the N.C. Judicial Standards Commission against Judge James M. Honeycutt. They are Brian Shipwash, the Davidson County clerk of court; Rena Turner, the Iredell County clerk of court; and Phillip Redmond, the Iredell County sheriff. Honeycutt has introduced secular oaths and has asked bailiffs to open his courtroom without invoking God, both violations of state law, according to the complaint.

Honeycutt is a lifelong Baptist, a dedicated churchgoer and a former deacon, said Ray Howell, his pastor at First Baptist Church in Lexington. He said that Honeycutt has been shocked by the negative reaction. "People say he's taking Godout of the courtroom," Howell said. "I think it's just the opposite. He's just trying to be fair to all people." A fundamental principle of Baptists is the separation of church and state, Howell said. "I think he's standing up for that principle. And I think that goes back to his Baptist heritage."

The fact that Honeycutt is a devout Christian won’t matter — he’ll still be portrayed as a godless, evil secularist because he won’t abuse the power of his office to promote the religious beliefs of a certain segment of the population. For them, it isn’t enough to simply believe and worship on their own; they aren’t happy unless the government agrees with them and supports their evangelization efforts. For that, we must conclude that they are very insecure in their beliefs.

Read More:

• Secularism 101
• Separation of Church and State 101
• Religious Right
• Christian Nationalism
• Religious Intolerance & Bigotry
• Evangelicalism