Faith-Based “Initiatives” Funded with Tax Dollars
Oh heck no! I don’t even think so! This is the kind of crap I’m talking about!
Oh, sorry… I guess I should explain what I’m talking about before I start ranting.
The Bush Administration is actively engaging in providing funding for what they call “faith-based initiatives.” What is that? Well, it means that religious organizations are given money for initiatives that are intended to be for helping the less fortunate. “But they’re helping others,” you say. Well those funds are also used to promote and push their respective religions.
The money is also used to fund luncheons and other religious organization functions related to those initiatives. You know, they have to talk about it and plan it with our tax dollars before they get started. Then, they get to use more tax dollars to carry it out, while preaching about religions that our government is not supposed to endorse.
I don’t know about you, but I see a big stinkin’ problem with this! Our government is supposed to be completely separated from religious practice. They can’t endorse it, nor can they persecute it! So what the heck is this about!?
Good news, there are more that think this way. As it turns out, the Supreme Court is now working to decide if it is legally acceptable for Americans to sue the government in the event that the government uses tax dollars to fund any initiative that is faith-based. There is a good interview clip that can be found the NPR.org, where Dahlia Lithwick discusses the current issue.
There is a big difference between helping people, and helping people while preaching and promoting a religion. If a religious organization wants to help people with government money, I say wonderful! But it has to be done without connecting the religion to the help. If a religious organization wants to help people, and connect it to their religion, then that is where fund-raising comes in. Either way is fine, but I draw the line when my government begins helping religious organizations promote their religion. The sickest thing is that the government is doing this while covering themselves with a blanket of community service, trying to make you feel bad or look bad if you criticize it.
Well, they can shove that where sun don’t shine! The government doesn’t need a religious organization to carry out their community services; there are plenty of other outlets. I’m sure there are plenty of non-religious, non-profit charities and organizations that would more than happy to use that money the right way. “Faith-based” is where this administration screwed up!
Check out the White House link to the Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.
March 2nd, 2007 at 9:37 pm
Amen! (Pun intended!) There’s tons of non-profit groups out there now who can’t provide enough help to the people they serve-because there isn’t enough money to provide services! There are plenty of ways to use money to help people without providing government money to religious organizations. I belong to a church and give money to the church’s charities, but I am still totally against giving government money to religious organizations.
Has anyone considered that religious organizations who accept government money would have to report to the government on their programs and how the money was spent?! Not only government-sanctioned religions, but religions who must answer to the government. That is totally not acceptable!
March 3rd, 2007 at 1:30 am
I agree with both of you. While I recognize that the church is responsible for a lot of good in society, I also recognize that the church has an agenda as well. In my opinion, it’s not right to use taxpayer dollars to fund these private organizations that clearly do have these agendas. I’m not saying their agendas are all bad; I just realize that not everyone paying for them (regular citizens) agrees with the religious overtones behind it (or more often, in front of it.)
Another thing I’ve noticed. These faith-based initiatives draw a lot of support from conservatives because they are done under the banner of religion, but in reality, government funding to help the less fortunate is a liberal idea. In that respect it might not be so bad ; )
April 5th, 2007 at 3:00 am
Excuse, and what you think concerning forthcoming elections?
April 9th, 2007 at 4:48 am
cool blog!
April 18th, 2007 at 2:11 am
nice photos of this blog