Rights vs. Funds, Faith vs. Liberty

Jewish organizations in America have been put in an quandary. Traditionally, they have been staunch supporters of civil rights and religious liberty, especially when it comes to the separation of church and state. President Bush's efforts to push faith-based social services - the governmental funding of religious organizations - is, however, very tempting for them.

If Jewish groups partake of that funding, they will be able to do more of the social work that is important to them, so it’s understandable that they would be interested. Taking the money, though, means opposing any efforts to require religious groups to refrain from religious discrimination when hiring people to administer those funds — something these groups would normally otherwise fight for.

So what should Jewish groups do? Should they stick to their principles and oppose religious discrimination, or will they give in to the temptation of federal money? That question was discussed in an issue of Forward a couple of years ago. The article quotes Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism:

There are lots of groups that got into charitable choice saying: ‘Great, this could mean a lot more money to our religious community,’ and rather than let sleeping dogs lie, they have opened up a Pandora’s box that is going to come back to haunt them. It’s a Pandora’s box that should have never been opened by the religious community.

That, I think, is a very accurate observation: it’s a Pandora’s Box. The government is buying the compliance of religious groups. No longer will they be able to remain independent observers and critics; instead, they will become complicit in whatever the government is doing. Already they are trying to make the government complicit in some very serious actions: religious discrimination. The end results won’t be good for either.

 

Read More:

• Separation of Church and State 101
• Church and State News
• Faith-Based Programs
• Secularism 101