The Bush initiative expressly allows for religion-based programming. Third, government funds will be provided directly to religious organizations. Now, the government is willing to contract directly with churches, synagogues, or mosques. Despite the relative rarity of such problems, they were cited as justification for the legislation, as was the often repeated assertion that faith-infused programs are more effective than secular ones. Expanding the use of religious organizations to provide government services raises a number of questions.
Public policy is ill-served when issues are mischaracterized.
The question is not, as the president suggests, whether the government should cooperate with faith communities - it always has and, presuming the continuing vitality of both the religious sector and the equal protection doctrine, it always will. Sheila Suess Kennedy is assistant professor of law and public policy at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis. Submissions policy Sightings welcomes submissions of 500 to 750 words in length that seek to illuminate and interpret the forces of faith in a pluralist society. The editor also encourages new approaches to issues related to religion and public life. Attribution Columns may be quoted or republished in full, with attribution to the author of the column, Sightings , and the Martin Marty Center at the University of Chicago Divinity School.