Finally! Faith-Based Initiative Court Challenge

Challenge To Religiously Based Vocational Training Program Tests Constitutionality Of Bush 'Faith-Based' Initiative

A federal lawsuit filed yesterday by two civil liberties groups challenges taxpayer-funded religious instruction and job discrimination in a vocational training program for inmates in Bradford County, Pa.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania say federal funding of the Firm Foundation program at the Bradford County Correctional Facility violates the Constitution by funneling public money to a program that proselytizes and hires only Christians. Over 90 percent of the budget for the program comes from federal, state and local funds.

"Ministries have a right to spread their religious message, but they have no right to pass the collection plate to taxpayers," said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. "Programs with a 'Christians-only' hiring policy should not be eligible for public funds.

"The case will serve as a major test of the Bush administration's 'faith-based' initiative," continued Lynn "I am confident that the federal courts will not allow public funds to pay for programs that offer religious instruction and discriminate on religious grounds in hiring."

President George W. Bush has issued executive orders requiring federal departments to set up "faith-based" offices to direct public moneys to religious groups. The Bush orders also allow these groups to discriminate on religious grounds in hiring, even if the programs in question are funded entirely with federal dollars.


http://www.au.org/site/News2?JServSessionIdr001=ppal101kj2.app5b&abbr=pr&page=NewsArticle&id=7201&security=1002&news_iv_ctrl=1241

The thing is that so many people in various religious communities think they are going to have a chance at some of this money that they haven't really stopped to think about the consequences -- i.e. discrimination.

au.org

what they mean by 'Christian' is really 'radical relgious right organization,' whose top official is a member of the Arlington Group (members include Dobson, Colson, Perkins, Falwell, Robertson, Wildmon etc.). I heard Pat Robertson got a little blessing for getting his flock together to support * - a multimillion-dollar grant to Operation Blessing (one of his orgs).