Switzerland is one of the world’s oldest surviving republics. When the Catholic and protestant cantons fought during the 26-day Sonderbund Civil War of 1847, 86 people were killed.
As wars go, it was restrained. General Guillaume Henri Dufour intentionally used minimal force to prevent long term national bitterness.
The conflict was not simply “religion versus religion.” The conservative Catholic cantons sought to preserve traditional Church influence in education and politics. The liberal protestant cantons pushed for a modern federal state with broader civil rights, economic reform and reduced clerical control.
The resulting 1848 Swiss Federal Constitution transformed the country. It guaranteed citizens the right to move, settle, work and marry anywhere in Switzerland.
No canton could exclude people for religious or political reasons. Freedom of the press expanded. Many Swiss — now able to leave legally and economically — emigrated to the United States in the following decades.
Just over a decade ago, Clark County, Washington, experienced its own small scale version of a civic stress test. A pair of county commissioners attempted to incorporate prayer and faith healing themes into official meetings. Voters responded by approving the Home Rule Charter and electing a new council.
The commissioners were not villains; they were simply out of step with the community. The system corrected itself, and life moved on.
Today, Battle Ground faces another avoidable challenge — and another opportunity. Certain energetic Christian organizations, supported by a strong local economy, are investing heavily in the community and gaining noticeable political influence. Rumors of a convention center illustrate how religious enthusiasm can intersect with economic ambition.
History offers parallels: the 1925 Scopes Trial, for example, drew national attention partly because civic leaders saw publicity as an opportunity.
The Reflector’s recent purchase by these interests has raised understandable questions. The Battle Ground mayor, responding to his constituency and to well- funded local groups, issued a proclamation that some residents viewed as inappropriate for his office. He did not make policy or pass a law. He simply misjudged the optics of using his position as a platform.
The mayor is not a bad person. The Christian groups involved are not enemies. They are our neighbors. They live here, raise families here, and clearly care about improving the community.
We should treat them with respect — even when we disagree.
What matters is that Battle Ground, like Switzerland and like Clark County before it, uses this moment to reaffirm the civic principle that government belongs to everyone, not to any one religious or political tribe. That lesson has been learned many times in history.
Things are no different today.
David Norris
Vancouver
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