Partners: God and Uncle Sam?

Should religious groups get federal dollars to help them serve the poor?

YES Faith-based charities can address America's social ills in a way that government simply cannot. They are working in every neighborhood in America to fight homelessness, addiction, and domestic violence, and to provide a hot meal or a mentor or a safe haven for our children.

Under current law, however, if a church, synagogue, or mosque wants to apply for federal funds, it has to establish a separate organization. This is a hurdle for smaller institutions.

That is why I support a bill to put President Bush's faith-based initiative into action. The bill, which passed the House of Representatives in July, would remove the barriers to federal financial aid for faith-based organizations with a proven track record.

For years, the federal government has been giving money to hospitals and universities run by religious groups. Federal aid is also routinely sent to faith-based charities in other countries. Our bill would simply extend such aid to faith-based organizations right here in America.

We are not proposing that federal money be used to fund religious activities themselves. Our bill contains safeguards to protect the separation of church and state. And if a beneficiary is uncomfortable with the faith tradition of the organization offering help, he or she must be given an alternative.

I hope the Senate will follow the House's lead and pass the faith-based initiative. The poor are waiting for us. We shouldn't let them down.

--REP. J. C. WATTS (R-Okla.)

NO As a minister, I admit that the idea of taxpayer-supported aid for my tax-exempt institution is tempting. But to be faithful to the constitutional separation of church and state, we should all be cautious about government subsidies for religiously based programs, however noble their goals.

I've been tempted before. Sixteen years ago, my church and 11 others received gifts of $10,000 each in state funds, secured by a New York State Senator, to support our community outreach efforts. I sent mine back. It would have been too easy to spend the money on religious programs, instead of charitable ones, and not be caught.

My church has more than a dozen social-service programs in New York's poor areas. So why not aid these programs with federal money? Because even religious institutions that place a high value on serving the poor almost always place a higher value on saving souls. They should. That is why they exist in the first place.

Government support for church-based charities can be constitutionally sound

if the line between helping the poor and saving souls is clearly drawn. But often it won't be. Who will keep my church, or any other, from slipping federal funds from one pocket to another?

A new law to remove existing protections for the separation of church and state is an unnecessary and dangerous idea.

--REV. FORREST CHURCH Minister All Souls Unitarian Church New York, N.Y.

FOCUS: The Debate Over Federal Aid to Faith-Based Charities

TEACHING OBJECTIVES

To help students understand the constitutional core of the debate over federal aid to faith-based charities: the First Amendment prohibition against government's establishment of religion.

Discussion Questions:

* Rep. J. C. Watts says that charities can address social ills in a way that government cannot. Make one argument supporting this position and one against it.

* Religious organizations are not required to pay taxes. Is this a form of government aid?

* Should a faith-based charity that receives government aid be allowed to hire only people of its faith to work in its charity programs?

CLASSROOM STRATEGIES

Research/Discussion: Have students read the First Amendment. Then ask them why they believe the Founding Fathers specified that government cannot establish religion. (Official sponsorship of one religion would discriminate against others.) Is aid to religious charities equivalent to the "establishment" of religion?

Role-play/Writing: After students digest the debate and take sides on the central question, ask them to imagine the following situation:

They work for a church, synagogue, or other religious organization that performs a range of charitable work in their community. President Bush's aid to faith-based charities is now law. Their job is to write a brief guideline for their religious organization. What, specifically, should members of their group do or not do to avoid the "slipping of federal funds from one pocket to another" that Rev. Forrest Church warns against? Give students specific situations, such as operating a homeless shelter, running a day-care center, providing meals to the homebound. What activities might violate the First Amendment ban on government's establishment of religion? Would the presence of religious materials, such as a Christian cross, religious garb or artwork violate the ban?

Next, ask students to suppose a religious group's federally aided charity work is performed solely for members of its religion. Would this approach violate the separation of church and state? Would it be fair to others in the community?