`Faith-based' amendment to Georgia constitution proposed. (AU Bulletin).A group of Georgia lawmakers is trying to repeal strong church-state separation provisions in the state constitution. A bipartisan group of state representatives has organized the "Georgia Faith-Based Initiative Task Force," which will have the primary goal of allowing voters to consider changing the constitution in a 2002 ballot referendum. Currently, Section II, Paragraph VII of the Georgia Constitution says, "No money shall ever be taken from the public treasury, directly or indirectly, in aid of any church, sect, cult, or religious denomination For other senses of this word, see denomination. A religious denomination (also simply denomination) is a subgroup within a religion that operates under a common name, tradition, and identity. or of any of sectarian institution." The task force hopes to change this unambiguous language. Led by State Reps. Clint Smith Clinton James "Clint" Smith (born December 12, 1913) was a Canadian Professional Hockey Forward in the National Hockey League who played for the New York Rangers and Chicago Black Hawks. He was born in Assinioia, Saskatchewan. (R-Dawsonville) and Donzella James (D-College Park), several lawmakers are pushing Resolution 131, which would permit churches and other religious groups to apply for state grants to provide a variety of social services social services Noun, pl welfare services provided by local authorities or a state agency for people with particular social needs social services npl → servicios mpl sociales . Critics are concerned the effort is slanted to favor Christians over religious minorities. They point to a recent strategy session of the task force at the state Capitol at which speakers encouraged participants to accept Jesus, blamed humanists for ruining the country and argued that sin was the reason behind the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of and Washington, D.C. The Atlanta Journal Constitution, the state's largest newspaper, has urged caution. "Do we want bureaucrats judging which religious groups are entitled to state money and which are not?" the paper editorialized. "Do taxpayers want to send dollars to fund religious groups whose basic tenets they passionately oppose? These are the tough questions that Georgians ought to consider when their ministers urge them to bombard bom·bard tr.v. bom·bard·ed, bom·bard·ing, bom·bards 1. To attack with bombs, shells, or missiles. 2. To assail persistently, as with requests. See Synonyms at attack, barrage2. 3. Gov. Roy Barnes Roy Eugene Barnes (born March 11 1948) was the governor of the U.S. state of Georgia from January 1999 until January 2003. He is a member of the United States Democratic Party. Barnes was born in Mableton, now a suburb just west of Atlanta. with calls to underwrite faith-based charitable initiatives." |
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