Coalition Against Religious Discrimination


SignOn Letter For Clergy & Religious Leaders Letter For Social Service Providers About the Issue About our Coalition Tell a Friend

An Open Letter to Members of Congress from America's Social Service Providers and Professionals

As social service professionals, we understand and appreciate the significant contributions by religious institutions in providing important government services to those in need. Current efforts to restructure the way these services are funded and regulated by the federal government pose serious threats to this historical partnership between government and religious organizations. Although we recognize the importance of religious organizations in assisting those in need, we are deeply concerned about the possibility of government-funded organizations proselytizing to people seeking aid and discriminating against qualified employees on the basis of religion in government-funded jobs.

Social service providers have their roots in charitable-voluntary agencies. We maintain that a complementary relationship between public and private resources is necessary to sustain the network of services that maintain, encourage, develop, and promote family and individual well being. However, we also believe that any public-private partnership must uphold certain fundamental principles of social service delivery:

  • Access to Services. Many social services must be available, accessible, and offered in a way that encourages voluntary use. We do not support the exercise of any arbitrary criteria, including gender, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, religion, political views, race, ethnicity, or national origin, to limit service access to any government-funded provider. Any new publicly funded, faith-based organization must provide services in an inclusive and non-discriminatory manner. Moreover, existing non-profit social service agencies must not be disadvantaged with respect to funding because they are not faith-based organizations.

  • Accountability. The Administration's emphasis on results and the dissemination of results is timely. Social service systems must contain the mechanisms to provide maximum accountability. Funding sources, policy-making bodies, administrators, service personnel, and clients should have access to regular and precise information about the operations, trends, problems, and results of government-funded services delivered by any provider. All publicly-funded providers should be held to the same high standards.

  • Appropriate Staffing. We support the efforts of religiously-affiliated organizations in providing services to people in need. However, families and individuals in crisis often face complex problems and issues. Staff should be trained, competent, and qualified to deliver social services to individuals and families facing a life crisis. We believe that all social service agencies, particularly those receiving public funding, must adhere to accreditation standards, licensing laws, and other regulatory mechanisms that protect clients and ensure quality service delivery.

  • Religious Liberty. We strongly support the constitutional principle of separation of church and state. We maintain that the expression of religious belief is a personal and private matter that should be neither constrained nor promoted by the government in any way. We oppose the use of government policies or the distribution of government funds to support religious activities in any manner. When government funds are provided to religious organizations, it is essential that appropriate binding safeguards be put into place that ensure that government-funded services are provided in a constitutional and secular manner. No person accessing government services should ever face actual or implied pressure to engage in religious activities or observances. Moreover, in keeping with our nation's longstanding commitment to protecting civil rights, there should be no discrimination by any provider against employees working in government-funded programs or those accessing services under federal, state, or local law.

  • Maintaining Government Responsibility. We reaffirm the essential role of government in developing and implementing policies and programs that expand opportunities, address social and economic justice, improve the quality of life of all people in this country, and enhance the social conditions of this nation's communities. We reaffirm our commitment to the promotion of the positive role of government as serving as the guarantor of the social safety net. The faith-based initiative should not create the expectation that private charity will substitute for public service funding, nor result in a reduction of currently supported programs.

    • We strongly urge you to oppose any legislation or regulatory guidance that does not reflect each of these core principles.

    To sign on to the letter for social service providers, fill in your information below.

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    Comments

    If you are unable to sign the letter through this online form, you may email your information to info@stopreligiousdiscrimination.com
    "Charitable Choice" and the "Faith-Based Initiative" are:

    Unconstitutional

    "Charitable choice" and "faith based initiative" allow government funds to flow directly to houses of worship and other pervasively religious organizations. Government subsidies for religion violate the First Amendment's Establishment Clause.

    When using their own funds, religious organizations have the right to choose their employees on the basis of religion or religious beliefs. But they must not be allowed to do so with taxpayer dollars.
    Unnecessary

    Under current law, religion and government cooperate in the provision of social services without "charitable choice." Houses of worship and other pervasively religious organizations may create separate affiliates that use tax money to provide social services without integrating religious activities into the tax-funded services and without discriminating on the basis of religion in hiring and firing.

    Unwise

    Proposals to funnel government dollars directly into houses of worship and religious organizations endanger both the sanctity of religion and the integrity of government. The government should not be in the business of choosing one religion over another.

    All contents Copyright ?? 2006, Coalition Against Religious Discrimination.
    info@stopreligiousdiscrimination.com

    All contact information will be kept confidential. Congregational and religious affiliation is for identification purposes only, and by signing this letter you are solely expressing your personal views.