The way this is framed -- make sure you read the comments, too -- I am surprised that this is posted here except in the know thy enemy sense.

I don't know anything about catholicculture.org, but if this article is typical, I just have to say that I don't like them very much.

While the religious right is accusing Obama of waging war against the religious, he releases this really inclusive and positive statement about religious freedom.

The site and group seems pretty good to me.

White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships

Now if he can remove the Faith-based part.

I always thought it violated the First Amendment and the establishment clause.
I thought it was horrible under Bush.
If religious org.s want to do work with the Gov, they should set up a wall with their religious parts and be treated as any charitable org.
Faith should have nothing to do with it.
The chances to funneling money to churches is too great, and that is exactly what happened under Bush and will happen again with another GOP Admin

the plate to adequately care for the most marginalized people in this country, then we may no longer need faith-based groups to do it.

Coordinating and supporting groups that provide a huge amount to the least among us is a good thing, imo.

And I don't think it violates the first amendment. It's not endorsement of any religion. And now that it includes "neighborhood", it really more inclusive than it was.

Let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater here. Just because something is religious doesn't mean governments can't work with them.

It's just a descriptive title, but I agree that religious functions should be separate from charitable ones.

so that is why I think there needs to be a sharp separation between the services and the Church that runs them.

They apply.

Should they be excluded because they are faith based?

I think that's where the 1st amendment problem would lie.

But I do think it originated in the Bush Administration as a way to funnel money to like minded Churches.
It's inception was corrupt and as I said, another GOP Admin will use it again for these purposes.

https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/an-insider-s-confession-david-kuo-blew-the-whistle-on-faith-based-fraud

And these are programs that the Government should actually do.

rules are in place, I think it can be done well.

The government should actually being doing many of these things.

But they aren't.

privatizing the safety net is worse.

It stinks too much of a GOP idea for me.

I think most of these organizations voluntarily try to sew up some of the gaping holes in the net.

There is no profit involved and much of the time the services are provided by volunteers, the good donated.

The fact that there are such gaping holes in the safety net is the underlying problem.

But I cringe when I see people suggest that it should be made more difficult or even impossible for religious organizations to do the charitable work that they currently do.