PRAISE GOD, AND PASS THE GOVERNEMENT CONTRACT

BY JULIANNE MALVEAUX

         

President George W. Bush has used the first days of his Presidency to create a set of benign images.  He has visited schools and toy stores, reached out to Democrats, held a meeting with the Congressional Black Caucus.  All his meetings have been photographed, so the picture of thirty black members of Congress, trudging up a White House path, gives the impression of a “kinder, gentler” Presidency.  So, too, does the picture of Mr. Bush in the Oval Office, flanked by a couple of dozen ministers, a good number of them African American.  The occasion – the announcement that he will open the White House Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives to help religious groups use federal funds to provide social services.

         

Many have applauded the move, and a number of African American ministers, including Bush critic and former DC Congressional representative Rev. Walter Fauntroy, see government aid for faith-based social services as a boost to the African American community.  I’m not so sure.  Many churches already provide an array of services, including food, clothing, and job training programs. They are free to implement these services in any way they choose to, requiring prayer or religious service participation, if they so desire.  They can also limit the population, to which they provide services, choosing to concentrate on their membership, or a certain neighborhood, if they want.  If a needy person doesn’t “feel the spirit” she might not feel comfortable seeking church-provided services.  No matter.  There are non-profit and government organizations that provide services as well.  But if Bush has his way, there will be fewer of these and more churches in the service business.

         

By law, faith-based organizations can discriminate on the basis of religion.  They can provide employment to their members, excluding others because they don’t believe.  That’s fine when the money for employment comes from church funds, but it’s not fine if it’s government money.

         

Don’t get me wrong.  The church clearly has a role in providing social services.  Many congregations have already stepped up to the plate to do as much as they can, without any government assistance.  It’s not the church that I object to, it is the blurring of the line between church and state.  It’s also the fact that some “religions” have beliefs that are replete with bias.  They aren’t likely to administer social services evenly or fairly.  Yet they will get money that comes from all of us to implement their efforts.

 

And can you see the worship services for these folks who compete for federal funds?  Praise God, and please pass the government contract!