No More Sermons at the Soup Kitchen

[Gawdzilla Sama]

No More Sermons at the Soup Kitchen
By TRAVIS SANFORD
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WASHINGTON (CN) - Faith-based organizations may no longer conduct worship services or proselytize while providing social programs funded with federal money. President Obama has amended a 2002 Executive Order from President George W. Bush that allowed faith-based social programs to get federal aid.
Bush's order allowed religious services to be conducted at the same time and in the same place as the social program offered, so long as the service itself was not supported by the money allocated to the social program.
Thus, visitors to a soup kitchen run by a church might hear a sermon while getting their food.
President Obama's amendment mandates separation of the two activities, in time or place, and forbids making participation in a religious activity a requirement for receiving the benefits of the federally funded program.
The amendments also require the government to "monitor and enforce standards regarding the relationship between religion and government in ways that avoid excessive entanglement between religious bodies and governmental entities."
Religious organizations will have to refer beneficiaries of federally funded programs who object to the religious character of the program provider to an alternative provider within a "reasonable period of time."
To enforce the new requirements, the amendment creates the Interagency Working Group on Faith-Based and Other Neighborhood Partnerships, which is charged with writing rules to implement the changes across the government and all organizations that receive federal funding.

[Pappa]

Cool.

[Feck]

Nice are they going to extend that to the AA or NA ?

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Nice are they going to extend that to the AA or NA ?

I hope so. They prey on people in dire straits.*



*Not the guitarist, of course, but certainly the others.

[drl2]

I applaud the move, but the Becks and Limbaughs are going to have a field day with this one.

[Robert_S]

Nice are they going to extend that to the AA or NA ?

AA and NA do not directly receive outside support. The most that happens is that people are required to attend meetings where a voluntary collection is taken.

[charlou]

Good move, Obama!

[FBM]

Good move, Obama!

times a brazillion...

[klr]

Amen to that ...

[Pappa]

Amen to that ...

Insha'Allah.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

rAmen to that ...

[Feck]

Nice are they going to extend that to the AA or NA ?

AA and NA do not directly receive outside support. The most that happens is that people are required to attend meetings where a voluntary collection is taken.

ok fair enough ,but if people are required to attend then surely the state is 'supporting' a religious organisation ?

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Nice are they going to extend that to the AA or NA ?

AA and NA do not directly receive outside support. The most that happens is that people are required to attend meetings where a voluntary collection is taken.

ok fair enough ,but if people are required to attend then surely the state is 'supporting' a religious organisation ?

Very much so. The military in the US uses AA as the core of its rehab programs. You are required to surrender yourself to a higher power to complete the program. Or you can lie, of course.

[Robert_S]

Nice are they going to extend that to the AA or NA ?

AA and NA do not directly receive outside support. The most that happens is that people are required to attend meetings where a voluntary collection is taken.

ok fair enough ,but if people are required to attend then surely the state is 'supporting' a religious organisation ?

Very much so. The military in the US uses AA as the core of its rehab programs. You are required to surrender yourself to a higher power to complete the program. Or you can lie, of course.

You can (as of 1997 in Oakland, CA) opt for another form of treatment/self-help. But the 12-step groups are cheap and widely available. Providing an alternative is most of the battle there.

[Faithfree]

A good decision!