Interfaith

Faith-Based Initiatives Are Government-Funded Bigotry

July 13, 2001

Source: The Boston Globe

On July 13, 2001, The Boston Globe published an opinion piece by Derrick Jackson, about Bush's faith-based initiative, in which he wrote, "It was fortunate for the debate on faith-based initiatives that the Salvation Army was the first major organization to trip and fall into the ravine between church and state. When an all-American charity splatters its political innards all over the valley, it cannot be ignored how the initiative of President Bush is a government subsidy for faith-based bigotry.

Bush Needs to Start Over with Faith-Based Initiative

July 13, 2001

Source: The Washington Post

On July 13, 2001, The Washington Post published an editorial on Bush's faith-based initiative, which asserted that "President Bush's faith-based initiative is in deep trouble because it lacks a constituency committed to its success, and because every move the administration makes to appease the idea's opponents weakens support from likely allies...The administration needs to start over...And if religious congregations were required to set up separate tax-exempt organizations to receive government money...many of the...

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Faith-Based Initiative Has Little Support in Congress

July 12, 2001

Source: The Houston Chronicle

On July 12, 2001, The Houston Chronicle reported that "with his signature proposal for faith-based federal spending increasingly imperiled, President Bush...made rare overtures to lawmakers in an effort to get the issue back on track...Furor [that] erupted over a deal his administration allegedly cut with the Salvation Army [is]...the latest setback...The administration has been steadily scaling back various aspects of the once-ambitious program, amid criticism, opposition and a lack of interest in the newly Democratic...

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Nonbeliever Coalition Opposes Faith-Based Initiative

July 9, 2001

Source: U.S. Newswire

http://www.usnewswire.com/topnews/Current_Releases/0709-129.html

On July 9, 2001, U.S. Newswire reported that a "coalition of Atheist, Freethought, Secular Humanist and other nonbeliever organizations...under the banner of 'The Day That Counts' will hold a media conference...in Washington, D.C...The goal is to encourage the nation's 27,000,000 persons who define themselves as Atheists, Agnostics, Freethinker, Humanists or other...

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Many Services Exist to Link Faith-Based Services to Government Funding

July 7, 2001

Source: The Dallas Morning News

On July 7, 2001, The Dallas Morning News published a list of primers for faith groups that want to seek out government funding for their service programs. The Charitable Choice Handbook for Ministry Leaders and A Guide to Charitable Choice are published by the Center for Public Justice (http://www.cpjustice.org/), a "Christian outfit that promotes involvement." Ten Good Questions is issued by the Polis Center, a research center at Indiana-Purdue University (...

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AIDS Patients Do Not Always Find Comfort and Acceptance in Houses of Worship

July 7, 2001

Source: Newsday

On July 7, 2001, Newsday reported on the support services that many religious groups offer to members with AIDS. "But many searching for a religious sanctuary say they aren't finding the healing and warmth promised at many houses of worship. Instead, some say, they find hypocrisy and rejection...Even at houses of worship that actively reach out to AIDS and HIV sufferers [including some Episcopalian and Catholic churches, the Congregational United Church of Christ, the First United Methodist Church, many synagogues, and some Buddhist retreats...

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Diana Eck's New Book Examines Religious Diversity in America

July 6, 2001

Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune

On July 6, 2001, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Harvard religion professor Diana Eck, "in her recently released book, 'A New Religious America'...has declared the United States the most religiously diverse nation in the world...Since 1991, when she started Harvard's Pluralism Project, she and her research assistants have searched for religious diversity from sea to shining sea."

Arizona Faith Groups Respond to White Supremacist

July 6, 2001

Source: The Arizona Republic

On July 6, 2001, The Arizona Republic reported that "Arizona's diverse faith community will kick off an anti-hate campaign...in response to a White-power leader's plans to recruit here for the White Aryan Resistance...Congregations will begin a 'Not in Our State' campaign, coordinated by...the National Conference for Community and Justice. The American Jewish Committee, the Anti-Defamation League, the Arizona Catholic Conference and numerous churches have signed on with the campaign ."

Changes Made to Proposed Charitable Choice Legislation

July 5, 2001

Source: The Christian Science Monitor

On July 5, 2001, The Christian Science Monitor reported that "the [Bush] administration and Republican leaders in the House of Representatives made some changes last week to the Community Solutions Act (HR 7) that deal directly with a central issue of concern to critics [of Bush's faith-based initiative]: the separation of church and state." Under the changes, "religious groups that receive grants would now be required to keep any religious activity or instruction separate from the government-funded programming......

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Kansas Church Embraces Diversity

July 4, 2001

Source: The Kansas City Star

On July 4, 2001, The Kansas City Star reported that the nearly all white congregation of the Full Faith Church of Love West, installed the Rev. Don Lewis, an African-American, as its new senior pastor. "Guests at the installation included Charangit Hundal of the Sikh gurdwara and Anand and Dipti Bhattacharyya of the Hindu temple."

Police Officer Serves as Liaison to Memphis Muslim Community

July 3, 2001

Source: The Commercial Appeal

On July 3, 2001, the Memphis The Commercial Appeal reported that "Memphis Police officer Mahajj Abdul-Baaqee doesn't mind explaining to his fellow officers" how to respect Muslim traditions while they conduct investigations. "In May, he was selected by the city's Office of Multicultural and Religious Affairs to serve as liaison for the Islamic community...As the face of Memphis changes, the need for liaisons to deal with everything from crime issues to cultural differences in the growing multiethnic communities increases."

Latino Churches Take Up Economic Development

July 2, 2001

Source: Los Angeles Times

On July 2, 2001, the Los Angeles Times reported that "now, with more Latino churches springing up within the Protestant evangelical movement, in which individual churches have substantial autonomy, more Latino church leaders are signing up for Economic Development 101," imitating the faith-based economic development promoted by many African-American churches.

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