The Friendly Hermit - Obama's Faith-Based Initiative

12:00 pm July 1st, 2008




			The Friendly Hermit - Obama's Faith-Based Initiative All who wander are not lost...

legolastn


	Obama's Faith-Based Initiative
	Since I've now seen several entries freaking out over the AP news story re: Obama's faith-based initiative, I thought I would provide a link straight from the ~~horse's~~donkey's mouth: Barack Obama's Plan to Engage Faith-Based and Community Organizations So, like it or not like it, at least you'll have the actual proposal in front of you. Personally, I think in an ideal world faith-based groups should not be taking any money from the government because it makes them beholden to said government in a number of ways and also has a number of other potentially unsavory/less-than-faithful effects. However, that is not the world we live in, and government grants to faith-based agencies are nothing new. The Bush administration did not invent it. What it did invent was the ability to use public funds while also discriminating in hiring and proselytizing those you serve. Which Obama's plan clearly does away with, initial AP reports to the contrary.

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	Comments

	From: ataventure	Date: July 1st, 2008 07:47 pm (UTC)		(Link)

First entry I saw as I scrolled down the flist, so it gets my response.

I don't think it's appropriate to give government funds to faith-based groups, regardless of whether or not they are community assistance groups. If Obama is interested in tackling the issues laid out on the proposal, he would do better by funding secular groups or creating government groups to combat such issues.

I am very much in favor of the separation of church and state. I'm not sure I want to know where government money in church-based organizations could lead us in the future.

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	From: legolastn	Date: July 1st, 2008 10:54 pm (UTC)		(Link)

As I said above, I don't think it's the greatest idea either. But, it's already happening, and it's been happening for a long time, and it's popular. So, if it's going to happen, putting safeguards in to protect that separation of church and state are enough for me to be satisfied.

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	From: sophiaserpentia	Date: July 1st, 2008 07:58 pm (UTC)		(Link)

I think the reason this is so disappointing is that the *best* we can hope for if this comes to pass, is that the program will become less biased. For those of us who think that the government should not be in the business of supporting faith-based programs, well i can be pragmatic and live with some degree of it, but i can't cheer for promises that it will be increased.

Edited at 2008-07-01 07:58 pm (UTC)

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