Faith-based social services are funded by the federal government through your taxes, even though that can lead to discrimination and a lack of those very services. The 1999 Charitable Choice Act allowed federal taxes to fund faith-based social services. Still, it limited these services to “Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG), and substance abuse treatment programs,” providing they not proselytize. When Congress refused President G.W. Bush’s demand to expand eligible services, he issued an executive order that included many more faith-based social services than initially intended. Furthermore, that executive order allowed “faith-based organizations (to provide) government-funded services and remain independent of governmental controls, to discriminate in their hiring practices, and to conduct inherently religious activities.” According to the ACLU , the Charitable Choice Act “raises serious concerns about the Act’s constitutional viability under the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment” and “imposes an impermissible bind on governmental entities – by forbidding ‘discrimination’ in the selection of contractors where the Constitution clearly requires it.” Those who support government-funded faith-based social services rightly see the law will help religious groups deliver much-needed social services. No argument there. But at what cost? Opponents welcome the support […]
