Therefore, here comes Rev. Larry E. Ball, a resident of Sullivan County, Tennessee (for 45 years), requesting that the Commission of Sullivan County, Tennessee, prohibit the erection of any Islamic mosques within the geographical boundaries of this County.

To the Honorable Members of the Sullivan County Commission
Blountville, Tennessee
A Public Proposed Resolution to Forbid the Erection of a Mosque

Whereas, the First Amendment to the United States Constitution says that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” and this amendment explicitly limits the power of Congress and not the power of the States (or counties); and

Whereas, the language of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution ratified in 1791 used the word “religion” to refer to various Chistian denominations (Presbyterian, Baptist, Anglican, etc.) within the Christian Faith, and not to other religions, especially those not at that time present in the United States such as Islam; and

Whereas, a majority of the States existing at the time the First Amendment was adopted had state constitutions which required an oath in some form to the Trinitarian God of the Bible in order to hold public office; and

Whereas, the Fourteenth Amendment mandates that “no State shall make or enforce any law that shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws;” and

Whereas, the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which was adopted after the Civil War in 1868, pertains directly to the rights of former Black Slaves, and therefore speaks directly to ethnicity and not to religion; and

Whereas, the use of the phrase “separation of church and state,” both in common parlance and legal language is further evidence that the original use of the word “religion” was referring to the Christianity and not to any other religions; and

Whereas, Islam follows Sharia Law which is incompatible with the Christian Faith; and

Whereas, and because the religions of Islam and Christianity (in history and at present) are incompatible, thus any attempt to occupy the same geographical boundaries always results in war between them, or slavery of one to the other (e.g. The Battle of Tours in 732, the Crusades (beginning in 1095), the genocide of Armenian Christians in 1915, and 911 in New York City; and

Whereas, the religion of Islam is constantly within only a few generations from being a threat to the peace and security of any non-Muslim nation, including these United States, the State of Tennessee, and Sullivan County, and

Whereas, the civil magistrate (in this case the Sullivan County Commission) has the responsibility to protect the peace and security of the body politic; and

Whereas, mosques continue to grow rapidly in the United States (now nearly 3,000) which has resulted in the public broadcasting over a loudspeaker of a call for Muslims to pray in such cities as Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Dearborn, Michigan; and

Whereas, Christianity produces nations that enjoy the blessings of wealth, peace, and productivity as compared to Islam which produces nations of poverty, tyranny, and oppression; and

Whereas, as in the Old Testament of the Bible, foreigners and aliens were to be treated with kindness, justice, and mercy, so those individuals of other religions in Sullivan County such as Islam are to be respected as being created in the image of God, and treated with kindness, justice, and mercy under the law.

Therefore, here comes Rev. Larry E. Ball, a resident of Sullivan County, Tennessee (for 45 years), requesting that the Commission of Sullivan County, Tennessee, prohibit the erection of any Islamic mosques within the geographical boundaries of this County.

Respectfully submitted,

Larry E. Ball is a retired minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and is now a CPA. He lives in Kingsport, Tenn.