This is why I, as a member of a minority faith, am hugely NOT a fan of the White House's Faith-Based Initiatives program, and why I wish it had been thrown out with the rest of the trash left over from the Bush administration. Because when the federal government gives money to Christian churches and organizations to help them provide social services, it is often subsidizing religious discrimination.
The story is, a Muslim man volunteered with World Relief, a Christian organization that works under contract with the State Department to help settle refugees from all over the world here in the US, and they were happy to take his labor for free. However, when he applied for an actual paying job with them, they refused to accept his application, because they only hire Christians.
Frankly, I don't like it when any company makes religion a hiring criterion, and I'm glad that we have non-discrimination statutes that affect the vast majority of companies. But even if they're small enough to have the statutes not apply, for a private company, fine, whatever. I'll express my displeasure with my dollars, and take my business elsewhere. However. When it's an organization openly discriminating on basis of religion, subsidized by my tax dollars? Fuck a whole bunch of that shit. If conservative whiners can get their undies in a bunch over not wanting their tax dollars to subsidize women's medical procedures, I can get my back up about not wanting my tax dollars to pay for religious discrimination.
Government-subsidized public services can be handled through secular organizations, thanks very much. If the churches want to help out, they're welcome to, but unless they agree to abide by the same regulations as any other organization that works with the government, they do not deserve one red fucking cent of taxpayer money.
2 comments:
I am personally of the opinion that the organization has the right to do this BUT federal dollars should not be taken/nor offered to ANY religious organization. It blurs the lines that have clearly been set up by our forefathers :)
@Anon - As I said, I *dislike* when businesses use religious hiring criteria, but I understand that it's necessary for a religiously-based organization. It's the line of taxpayer-funding which confers a sort of quasi-government-endorsement that I feel shouldn't be crossed.
I think too many religious organizations have forgotten that the separation of church and state is to the benefit of both the state AND the church. The closer the church comes to being an arm of the state, the more authority the state has over the church.
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