For more than 200 years, *religion* in the U.S. has been supported by voluntary contributions from individual believers, brought about by the separation of church and state. Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Precedence: bulk Reply-To: "Toni Hawryluk" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> X-List: lace-chat
The "faith-based" initiative proposed by the White House destroys that time-tested - and working - system. The plan would force *all* Americans to pay taxes to *support *some* religious groups* - whether individuals believed in those *selected groups* or not - and whether or not the individual *had* an "organized" faith. Poor families, homeless people, low-income seniors, and others should be able to get help from *their* government without being forced to listen to some *individual's* choice of religious song-and-dance sermon first. Proponents of the plan insist that religious groups provide social services better and cheaper than anyone else. In fact, there is *no* *scholarly* *data* to support this claim. Well, religious groups are not immune to scandals of various types including financial ones. According to some scholars, there are more than 2,000 religious groups in America. Who will make the decisions which groups get tax support ? How much of those taxes will be paid for the administration of this initiative - thereby limiting horrendously what will actually reach even the selected groups ? There are already signs that the White House is doling out "faith-based grants" - from *everybody's taxes* - to political cronies. Controversial TV preacher Pat Robertson recently received $500,000. How many Americans do not *earn* $500,000 in a *lifetime* ? Other administration officials have disparaged some groups, making it clear that "unfavored" religions won't get a dime. Pitting the Methodists against the Catholics against the Baptists against the Muslims, etc. for a shrinking slice of the federal funding pie for human needs is both a cruel and pathetic response to human suffering in the wealthiest country in history. This initiative amounts to dumping people in need on *every* church's doorsteps, whether or *not* they were part of the selected groups, and expecting that 'justice will be done'. Faith-based indeed . . . Faith communities have often led what the president calls "armies of compassion." In earlier history, 'armies' of that type have burned witches at the stake and inspired the Inquisition. Those of us/you who support faith-based activities should be reaching deeper into our/your own pockets, not expecting *all* the taxpayers to buy the rations needed to sustain our/your 'faith-based' marching orders. Toni in Seattle To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED]
