Joe Mack, the South Carolina Baptist Convention’s voice for public policy issues, hopes a federal lawsuit aimed at preventing South Carolina from issuing “I Believe” license plates will fail.
“I am certainly opposed to the lawsuit,” Mack said June 19 after the Associated Press reported that a watchdog group announced it would challenge the constitutionality of the state-issued license plate, which would feature a cross superimposed over a stained-glass window along with the words, “I Believe.”
Americans United for Separation of Church and State said a law allowing the tags amounted to state government giving preferential treatment to Christianity. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of three South Carolina pastors and a rabbi and the Hindu American Foundation. It accuses the state of violating First Amendment rights protecting all faiths.
“Christians have a right to express their belief,” Mack said. “Secular humanists have a tag; we should be entitled to a tag.”
Mack said the idea for the “I Believe” tag originated with Lt. Gov. Andr? Bauer, and a bill enabling its legislation was cosponsored by state senators Yancey McGill, a member of Kingstree First Baptist Church, and Larry Grooms, a member First Baptist Church, St. Stephen. On the House side, Rep. Bob Walker, a member of First Baptist, Landrum, was instrumental in moving the legislation forward, Mack said.
In a statement, Lt. Gov. Bauer said the state has an established process for groups to apply for specialty license plates, noting that both secular and religiously affiliated groups have plates, including Bob Jones University and the Wild Turkey Federation.
“For those who say this violates the constitution by giving preference to Christianity, I think this lawsuit clearly discriminates against persons of faith,” Bauer said in the statement. “I expect the state attorney general to vigorously defend this, and it is time that people stand up for their beliefs. Enough is enough.”