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JLeslie's avatar

Are you in favor of tax dollars going to Faith Based Initiatives?

Asked by JLeslie (65743points) December 14th, 2009

It just seems like a violation of the separation of church and state to me.

Also, if you are in favor are you really ok no matter what religious organization it goes to? Buddhist? Muslim? Catholic? Christian? Jewish?

If the government is giving money to these church run organizations, then does the government have the right to dictate that hiring practices must be equal opportunity, without discrimination based on religion. And, that the organization has to help all who qualify regardless of their religious faith?

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35 Answers

CMaz's avatar

Yes, save the ChazMaz foundation.

But generally no.

Seek's avatar

I am in no way in support of the Government supporting organizations that perpetuate brainwashing.

If a company that happens to be owned by a church wants to send food to Africa, I’m in support of that, provided they do not require the recipients to attend church services, or pass out religious documentation with the rice and dry milk.

75movies's avatar

Not only no but I I am of the opinion that religious organization should not be able to obtain tax exemptions.

Alrook's avatar

@Seek_Kolinahr – I fully agree with you!

KatawaGrey's avatar

I think it depends on what the faith based organizations do. I’m sure starving children won’t say no to food given by a Christian organization. If, however, these organizations put money towards religious texts etc. as opposed to food, then yeah, I don’t think the government should donate money to them.

HighShaman's avatar

Absolutely NOT ! I agree with you that spending TAX dollars for faith based projects is in violation of Church and State.

UScitizen's avatar

Of course not. I’m in favor of tax cuts and less spending.

75movies's avatar

Now, given the following scenerio:
If the government is giving money to these church run organizations, then does the government have the right to dictate that hiring practices must be equal opportunity, without discrimination based on religion. And, that the organization has to help all who qualify regardless of their religious faith?

Yes.

ubersiren's avatar

No, absolutely not.

jrpowell's avatar

Back in the day their was a church in Eugene that would hand out sandwiches to the homeless if they would listen to some bible talk first.

So my agnostic ass got some friends together to do the same. But we just gave free food to people that needed it. No lecture about Jesus from us. And we included Doritos with each sandwich.

edit :: we did this ten feet away from them. It seriously pissed them off.

aprilsimnel's avatar

No. I am not in favour. Funding connotes agreement with the message. And there are some messages of which I don’t approve, so I don’t want my money going to the messengers.

Seek's avatar

@johnpowell
I like your style.

Mavericksjustdoinganotherflyby's avatar

@johnpowell Good job! Wish I could have been there to see the look on their faces.

cjmegatron81's avatar

Never ever in hell

tinyfaery's avatar

Nuh uh. I needed a different way to say to no.

SirGoofy's avatar

I will agree that all tax dollars are OUR money….while we still have it in our own bank accounts. Once we’ve handed it over to our politicians, they pretty much do whatever they want with it and our only true voice in the matter is heard when each of us enter the election booth. In terms of what they actually do with it…I personally don’t care if they shovel it out the windows of the Pentagon in buckets. At least…for now…this is the price we all truly pay for “freedom”. Quibbling over where they spend every single dollar is nothing more to me than a severe headache.

ratboy's avatar

What do the multinational corporations that own the government have to say?

I think democracy in the US is already so compromised that it hardly matters any longer.

La_chica_gomela's avatar

No, it doesn’t sit very well with me.

deni's avatar

dear god, no! absolutely positively NOT. that would be like everyone elses tax dollars going to the SEND DENI TO AUSTRALIA FOR VACATION fund. except that would make more sense.

JLeslie's avatar

@SirGoofy I have made similar arguments in regards to embryonic cell research and funding the war. But separation of church and state seems like a fundamental tenet of the US (even though we have a messy grey line in some ways regarding it). I guess since I grew up with my father saying America is a paradise, and one of the biggest factors is the freedom of religion, I have a hard time seeing acts that seem to infringe on it.

Blackberry's avatar

Definitely not! This is wrong on so many levels. I don’t even have to state why. I hate what people have made religion, you have poor, sheepminded people giving money to evangelists, and next thing you know, they get a private jet…..what the fuck is that…..? I don’t care what anyone says, if religion isn’t being used and a comfort blanket only, it’s to take advantage of people and their money.

gradyjones's avatar

No, I agree it is a violation of the separation of church and state. That separation is as important to the autonomy of the church as it is to the state.

deni's avatar

@Blackberry and you also have the priest driving off from church in a new corvette, funded by the church goers! no seriously, one of the priests at a church around here does drive a corvette. i wrote a philosophy paper on churches and god recently and used this example in it and laughed at myself lol

JLeslie's avatar

@deni A Catholic church?

deni's avatar

@JLeslie yes i believe its a catholic church, im not positive though

mattbrowne's avatar

Generally I’d say, no. One exception might be interfaith dialog which to a certain extend is also related to political and cultural dialog.

Rude_Bear's avatar

I oppose it. It strikes me as being one or two accounting tricks away from being state supported religion.

JLeslie's avatar

Well, there seems to be overwhelming agreement. I just cannot understand how America ever decided this was a good idea?

Rude_Bear's avatar

@JLeslie : I don’t think America decided it was a good idea. I suspect W thought it was a good idea….

JLeslie's avatar

@Rude_Bear Very disappointing. I’m still pissed off Washington National Airport was changed to Reagan, this is even worse.

laureth's avatar

Perhaps “all of America” doesn’t think the same way as “part of Fluther.”

Rufus_T_Firefly's avatar

No. Not now. Not ever. We already support them with tax-exemptions.

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