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It's All About Freedom!

Religion and Government: a Bad Mix

The mixing of religion and government has been in the news both nationally and locally. Nationally there is President George W. Bush's proposal to send taxpayer dollars to faith-based organizations to help those in need. Locally the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition has its annual "Day on the Hill" to lobby for "social justice issues" at the Minnesota Legislature. Both efforts are misguided.

Bush's proposal is to allow faith-based organizations to contract with the federal government to provide services to the poor, the homeless, drug addicts and others in need. It has raised objections from those who say it is government support of religion in violation of the Constitution. In reality its end result will be just the opposite. Government rules always follow government dollars, to avoid violating the establishment of religion clause of the Constitution, faith-based organizations will not be able to express their beliefs to those they are serving. In other words, the faith-based organizations will be allowed to serve the physical needs of their clients, but will be prohibited from serving their clients' spiritual needs. The faith-based organizations will have relinquished their responsibility to proclaim the faith. They will become dependent on government money and will do what is necessary to continue to receive it. They will have become just another secular social service agency, having lost that which made them different.

The one positive aspect of Bush's proposal is to allow a deduction for charitable contributions regardless of whether or not one itemizes on their tax return. Americans currently pay nearly 50% of their income for taxes and government regulations. In light of this it would be even better to enable individuals to donate more of their time and money to charity by not taxing their income away in the first place. Reducing this burden would give Americans more money to donate to charity or the option of working fewer hours and volunteering more.

Locally the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition (JRLC) will be lobbying the State Legislature to fund various government programs with taxpayer dollars. The JRLC claims that the government needs to be involved in charity because religious groups can't meet the need. So instead of practicing charity, the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition is advocating the use of the power of the state to force others to finance the JRLC's desires. The JRLC apparently is unaware that over the years the government has supplanted the role of religious and non religious groups in the provision of aid to those in need. The JRLC's efforts will just continue this trend.

Both President Bush and the JRLC are losing sight of the true benefits of private charity. Private charity not only benefits the recipient but also the giver. Voluntary efforts are done from the heart. They allow a closer, more personal involvement of the giver. Using force thru government taxation does not provide this involvement and is not true charity. Ultimately what both Bush and the JRLC are advocating is the abdication of the church's and the individual's responsibility for charity. Instead they are worshiping at the altar of the state.