At The National Prayer Breakfast, Barack Obama today announced the creation of his version of George W. Bush’s White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. His will be called The Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. While Obama spoke eloquently and openly about religion, its role in his life, and the role he sees for religion in the Obama Administration, he has neglected to accept the fact that we are constitutionally a secular nation that constitutionally prohibits the mingling of church and state. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution states,
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
This is accepted to mean the prohibition of the establishment of a national religion by the Congress or the preference of one religion over another, non-religion over religion, or religion over non-religion. In short, the government cannot subsidize religion. Obama’s Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, despite his claims to the contrary, will by definition allow religion to be emphasized.
California is investigating them.
In 2006, The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported:
“Four of the 13 FBOs [faith-based organizations]Â that provided voluntary religious activities did not separate in time or location some religious activities from federally funded program services.”
In other words, an apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.Â
The following year, 2007, faith-based organizations won more than 3,200 grants in 2007, totaling over $2.2 billion.
Perhaps the inner-Obama realizes continuing this Office is a mistake? He stumbles over his words as he says,
“The goal of this office will not be to favor one religious group over another, or even religious groups over secular groups. It will simply be to work on behalf of groups that want to work on behalf of our communities.”
While that may sound great, the meaning is in the ear of the beholder. No doubt, the Religious Right believes that “working on behalf of our communities” includes working to help our communities fight gay marriage. Of course they do. It’s in their bylaws. It’s in their charters. It’s in their DNA. NOT working to fight gay marriage is akin to the ACLU working to outlaw the Constitution.Â
While Obama’s attempt at inclusiveness is a better approach than Bush’s outright abduction of federal funds to pay for anti-gay advertising and programs, Obama’s is a misguided one that will a have similar effect, and ultimately, the same result: supporting the religious right’s goal to end any possibility of legalized gay marriage. You can’t feed part of a cow.