Liberty Counsel reports that there is a section of the bill that prohibits use of the funds for "modernization, renovation or repair of facilities ... used for sectarian instruction (or) religious worship." If the goal is to make sure that churches or mosques aren't being rebuilt, that's certainly lawful. But if the goal is to provide an excuse for preventing schools from doing improvements to auditoriums that are rented out to churches on Sundays--well, that's a big problem. Maybe even an unconstitutional one. And at least that's how Liberty Counsel describes it:
Both the House and Senate versions contain anti-faith language that will censor religion and force people of faith from the public square. The bill states that stimulus funds may not be used for "modernization, renovation, or repair of [certain educational] facilities – (i) used for sectarian instruction, religious worship, or a school or department of divinity; or (ii) in which a substantial portion of the functions of the facilities are subsumed in a religious mission."
Several members of Congress, including Senator Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina), have attacked the 1.1 trillion dollar spending bill for its anti-faith censorship. DeMint stated that the bill would "empower the ACLU with ambiguous laws that create liability for schools, universities, and student organizations."
No comments:
Post a Comment