Welcome to the United States of Jesusland

[akujunkan]

This is disgusting.

White House spokeswoman Emily Lawrimore called the ruling "a substantial victory for efforts by Americans to more effectively aid our neighbors in need of help."

Oh, you mean like the christian "charity" that fleeced the American people for close to half a million dollars on a bogus grant of two decommissioned cutters? Yeah, those people really needed help.

It makes me SICK to think that any portion of my income whatsoever is going to line the purses of people whose beliefs I morally oppose. That I can't challenge this state of affairs in court is just the icing on the cake.

That will be all.

Comments

[shoebucket.livejournal.com]

So you're saying that it's OK for the taxes paid by extremist-right-wing-Christians to go to non-faith-based groups, whose views they morally oppose... but forbid it to be the other way around?

Perhaps I didn't understand the article very well, but it seems like you're supporting the view that we shouldn't treat all groups equally in their opportunities to gain federal grant monies, regardless of if they're faith-based or not.

Now I agree that it's shameful for some of those groups in the past to obtain monies on false pretenses and/or misuse those funds; but perhaps that just means we need to have tighter controls on determining whether they actually *get* the money rather than whether they may apply for it?

Hmm...

[akujunkan.livejournal.com]

but it seems like you're supporting the view that we shouldn't treat all groups equally in their opportunities to gain federal grant monies, regardless of if they're faith-based or not.

That's highly disingenuous of you. This is a secular country. We have a constitutionally-mandated secular government. I am against my, or anyone else's, tax dollars being used to erode the Establishment Clause. You know, that thing that Jefferson helped create? That issue that Madison was so passionate about? That part of the Constitution formalists like Scalia are so willing to overlook? It's illegal--any program which favors religious groups over secular groups is unconstitutional.

I would also remind you that every tax dollar given to a faith-based charity is a dollar stolen from secular government programs that offend no one of any denomination. And that every government freebie dollar these groups receive allows them to use their privately-raised dollars to promote their religious agenda--because they're receiving a free ride when it comes to actually committing acts of charity. And finally, that even those who were originally quite enthusiastic about the erosion of our secultar government (http://www.amazon.com/Tempting-Faith-Inside-Political-Seduction/dp/0743287126/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-1803826-7907648?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1182871157&sr=8-1) have learned to their deep chagrin that this program is more about funnelling money to Bush's cronies than it ever was about helping those in need.

Using federal money to promote religion--any religion, any number of religions at once, even--is wrong. Period. I have no problem with religious charities of any denomination. The bottom line, however, is that it is illegal and unconstitutional for tax money to be used to support religious activity of any sort.