John Lewis and the Conscience of Congress

By Colman McCarthy

During a forum at Washington’s National Cathedral on March 30 to mark the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jrs., final Sunday sermon at the same site, Rep. John Lewis of Georgia took questions from the audience. The first involved war and money: is there a way for people who conscience forbids killing in war not to pay taxes that fund the war.

Yes, the congressman replied: the Religious Freedom Tax Fund Bill. The legislation, introduced by Lewis in April 2007 and which now has more than 30 House co-sponsors including John Conyers, Pete Stark, Jim McGovern and Tammy Baldwin, would create a fund