Obama says he would enhance faith-based social-service work
"The challenges we face today — from saving our planet to ending poverty — are simply too big for government to solve alone," Obama said, standing outside a community center in eastern Ohio. "We need an all-hands-on-deck approach."
Some Democrats have previously backed similar efforts, but Bush's version, a centerpiece of his first-term agenda, has been a lightning rod for criticism from those concerned about the separation of church and state and those who argued that Bush had used it to further a conservative political agenda.
In embracing the same general approach as Bush, Obama ran the political risk of alienating those of his supporters who would prefer that government keep its distance from religion.
But Obama's plan departed from the Bush administration's stance on one fundamental issue: whether religious organizations that get federal funds for social services can take faith into account in their hiring. Bush has said yes. Obama said no.
Obama's position that religious organizations would not be able to consider religion in their hiring for such programs would constitute a deal-breaker for many evangelicals, said several evangelical leaders, who represent a political constituency Obama has been trying to court.
"For those of who us who believe in protecting the integrity of our religious institutions, this is a fundamental right," said Richard Cizik, vice president of governmental affairs for the National Association of Evangelicals. "He's rolling back the Bush protections. That's extremely disappointing."
Early in his first term, Bush issued a set of executive orders that expressly allowed faith-based organizations receiving federal money to consider religion in their employment decisions, although there remained much confusion about what is or is not permitted in this area because of conflicting federal, state and local laws.
Martha Minnow, a professor of law at Harvard University who has written about faith-based initiatives and has advised the Obama campaign on the issue, said Obama would move to "return the law to what it was before the current administration" — in other words, barring the consideration of religion in hiring decisions for such programs that receive federal financing.
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Regardless whether or not you support Obama, his example should force...
Vince | July 3, 2008 at 2:14 p.m.
For a good many people the idea of leaving a church they've grown...
Steve - Re: Re Keith | July 3, 2008 at 1:27 p.m.
I can't believe anybody would vote for Obama. What is this country...
NObama | July 3, 2008 at 9:27 a.m.
