Arizona Prison Program aids religion, says court.Federal grants to a prison-mentoring program run by an evangelical group are unconstitutional, a federal court has ruled. On Jan. 12, U.S. District Judge John C. Shabaz found that grants made by the Department of Health and Human Services Noun 1. Department of Health and Human Services - the United States federal department that administers all federal programs dealing with health and welfare; created in 1979 Health and Human Services, HHS to the Arizona-based Mentoring Children of Prisoners violated church-state separation. Shabaz noted, in Freedom From Religion Foundation The Freedom From Religion Foundation is an American Freethought organization based in Madison, Wisconsin. Its purposes, as stated in its bylaws, are to promote the separation of church and state, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism. v. Jim Towey Jim Towey was assistant to the President of the United States, and former director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives from 2002 to May 2006. He is currently president of Saint Vincent College, a small Catholic school in Pennsylvania. , that the Arizona-based group's literature clearly revealed its intentions to proselytize pros·e·ly·tize v. pros·e·ly·tized, pros·e·ly·tiz·ing, pros·e·ly·tiz·es v.intr. 1. To induce someone to convert to one's own religious faith. 2. children. The articles of incorporation The document that must be filed with an appropriate government agency, commonly the office of the Secretary of State, if the owners of a business want it to be given legal recognition as a corporation. for MentorKids USA state that among its purposes is, "To exalt the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God, the Savior of the World and the head of his church." Moreover, Shabaz cited a 2003 memo from the group's president to case managers that in the next year "we plan to be much more intentional about introducing the kids in the program to Christ and nurturing their growth and foundation in Him." The lawsuit challenging the federal grants was brought by the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation. |
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