Arizona lawmaker proposes mandatory church attendance

An Arizona state senator raised some eyebrows this week when she suggested that church attendance should be mandatory.

Sylvia Allen surprised her fellow lawmakers when she made the remarks during a committee meeting earlier this week - in part because they were debating a gun bill concerning concealed weapons permits, not religion.

Allen explained that without a "moral rebirth" in the country, more people may feel the need to carry a weapon. Other senate members called her proposal unconstitutional.

State Senator Steve Farley, who was at the same meeting, said, "Even if you believe that would stem the moral decay, I think the Constitution makes it very clear that our country is founded on the pillar of separation of church and state."

But Allen is standing by her bill.

She said, "To try to bring back this moral rebirth to our country, to turn our heart back to good things, that that is some sort of amazing thing for me to have said, and that would be offensive to people?"