[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 82 (Wednesday, June 13, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1089]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        FAITH-BASED INITIATIVES

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. RON PAUL

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 13, 2001

  Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, I recommend to my colleagues the attached 
article, ``The Real Threat of the Faith-Based Initiative'' by Star 
Parker, founder and president of the Coalition on Urban Renewal and 
Education (CURE). Miss Parker eloquently explains how providing federal 
monies to faith-based institutions undermines the very qualities that 
make them effective in addressing social problems. As Miss Parker 
points out, religious programs are successful because they are staffed 
and funded by people motivated to help others by their religious 
beliefs. Government funding of religious organizations will transform 
them into adjuncts of the federal welfare state, more concerned about 
obeying federal rules and regulations than fulfilling the obligations 
of their faith.
  If religious organizations receive taxpayer monies, they will have an 
incentive to make obedience to the dictates of federal bureaucrats 
their number-one priority. Religious entities may even change the 
religious character of their programs in order to avoid displeasing 
their new federal paymaster. This will occur in large part because 
people who currently voluntarily support religious organizations will 
assume they ``gave at the (tax) office'' and thus will reduce their 
level of private giving. Thus, religious charities will become 
increasingly dependent on federal funds for support. Since ``he who 
pays the piper calls the tune'' federal bureaucrats and Congress will 
then control the content of ``faith-based'' programs.
  Those who dismiss these concerns should consider that funding 
religious organization will increase federal control of religious 
programs; in fact the current proposal explicitly forbids proselytizing 
in federally-funded ``faith-based'' programs. While religious 
organizations will not have to remove religious icons from their 
premises in order to receive federal funds, I fail to see the point in 
allowing a Catholic soup kitchen to hang a cross on its wall or a 
Jewish day center to hang a Star of David on its' door if federal law 
forbids believers from explaining the meaning of those symbols.
  Miss Parker points out that the founding fathers recognized the 
danger that church-state entanglement poses to religious liberty, which 
is why the First Amendment to the United States Constitution protects 
the free exercise of religion and forbids the federal government from 
establishing a national church. As Miss Parker points out, the most 
effective and constitutional means for Congress to help those in 
poverty is to cut taxes on the American people so that they may devote 
more of their resources to effective, locally-controlled, charitable 
programs.
  In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, I hope all my colleagues will read Miss 
Parker's article and join her in supporting a return to a 
constitutional policy that does not put faith in federal programs but 
instead in the voluntary actions of a free and compassionate people.

                    [From GOPUSA.COM, May 25, 2001]

             The Real Threat of the Faith-Based Initiative

                            (By Star Parker)

       The faith-based initiative is our latest proof that 
     politicians are great entrepreneurs in finding ways to expand 
     the scope of government, their own power and control over our 
     lives. This particular initiative should be of concern to all 
     because, in the best scenario, it will only waste money. In 
     the worst case, however, it will be destructive to our 
     nation.
       Although for President Bush this initiative is a crusade to 
     reach minorities, welfare programs have already done enough 
     damage in black America. Government dependency has created an 
     environment in which black illegitimacy rates have soared 
     seventy percent. This time the victim of government 
     intervention will be the black church.
       However, there is an even deeper concern facing us than 
     this.
       Those who claim that the faith-based initiative merely 
     saves charitable programs of religious organizations from 
     discrimination miss the most basic point. The main reason 
     faith-based programs are successful is the fact that free 
     people choose to fund them and that free people choose to 
     participate in them.
       The truth is that we all are already participating in a 
     great faith-based initiative. It is called the United States 
     of America and its principles and rules are in the 
     Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
       When we examine these great documents, we see that the 
     founders referenced our most fundamental rights to our 
     Creator and then defined the role of government to secure 
     these rights. Our great and blessed country, has been a story 
     of unprecedented success because of the crucial premise that 
     man is and must be free to exercise his God-given rights.
       It is worth noting that although the founders declared 
     this; they then prohibited, in the very first amendment to 
     the Constitution, the establishment of religion by 
     government. Clearly, they did not make haste to keep 
     government out of religion because they were not religious 
     men or because they were opposed to religion or religious 
     activity. They did this because they understood that faith, 
     freedom, and choice cannot be separated and that it is 
     critical to preserve and protect these core elements of our 
     society.
       Our goal should be to eliminate government from those 
     aspects of our society that have been politicized: not to 
     politicize the very faith and freedom that have made our 
     country great. The very idea of welfare is the antithesis of 
     both faith and freedom.
       A true faith-based initiative is one defined by freedom and 
     not one defined by politics. Humankind already has a tragic 
     history of incidents where governments and politicians have 
     gotten into the business of defining faith and religion.
       I respect our President, but he is dead wrong on this one. 
     We still have billions of unused dollars in our welfare 
     budgets. Let us return these funds to our citizens and 
     exercise true faith that they will make the right decisions 
     regarding charitable giving. Let us remember the simple 
     wisdom of Ronald Reagan that government is the problem, not 
     the solution.

     

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