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Barack Obama
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"Now, I know there are some who bristle at the notion that faith has a place in the public square," Mr. Obama intends to say. “But the fact is, leaders in both parties have recognized the value of a partnership between the White House and faith-based groups.” He thus embraced the heart of a program, established early in the Bush administration, that critics say blurs the constitutional separation of church and state. Mr. Obama made clear, however, that he would work to ensure that charitable groups receiving government funds be carefully monitored to prevent them from using the money to proselytize and to prevent any religion-based discrimination against potential recipients or employees.
"[Conservative leaders] need to understand the critical role that the separation of church and state has played in preserving not only our democracy, but the robustness of our religious practice. Folks tend to forget that during our founding, it wasn't the atheists or the civil libertarians who were the most effective champions of the First Amendment. It was the persecuted minorities, it was Baptists like John Leland...It was the forbearers of the evangelicals who were the most adamant about not mingling government with religion, because they did not want state-sponsored religion hindering their ability to practice their faith..."
"A sense of proportion should also guide those who police the boundaries between church and state. Not every mention of God in public is a breach to the wall of separation - context matters. It is doubtful that children reciting the Pledge of Allegiance feel oppressed or brainwashed as a consequence of muttering the phrase 'under God.' I didn't. Having voluntary student prayer groups use school property to meet should not be a threat, any more than its use by the High School Republicans should threaten Democrats. And one can envision certain faith-based programs - targeting ex-offenders or substance abusers - that offer a uniquely powerful way of solving problems."
"Now, make no mistake, as someone who used to teach constitutional law, I believe deeply in the separation of church and state."
"First of all, I think you are aware Pastor Rick that I gave a speech earlier this summer promoting faith-based initiatives. I think we should have an all-hands-on-deck approach when it comes to issues like poverty and substance abuse."
Mr. Obama is also proposing $500 million per year to provide summer learning for 1 million poor children to help close achievement gaps for students. He proposes elevating the program to the “moral center” of his administration, calling it the Council for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.
"That's why Washington needs to draw on them [faith based organizations]. The fact is, the challenges we face today – from saving our planet to ending poverty – are simply too big for government to solve alone. We need all hands on deck. I'm not saying that faith-based groups are an alternative to government or secular nonprofits. And I'm not saying that they're somehow better at lifting people up. What I'm saying is that we all have to work together – Christian and Jew, Hindu and Muslim; believer and non-believer alike – to meet the challenges of the 21st century."
With an eye toward courting evangelical voters, Senator Barack Obama arrived here on Tuesday to present a plan to expand on President Bush’s program of investing federal money in religious-based initiatives that are intended to fight poverty and perform community aid work.
"When it comes to funding faith-based organizations, they are always free to hire whoever they want when it comes to their own mission, who their pastor is, the various ministries that they want to set up. When it comes to the programs that are federally funded, then we do have to be careful to make sure that we are not creating a situation where people are being discriminated against using federal money."
"Now, I know there are some who bristle at the notion that faith has a place in the public square,” Mr. Obama intends to say. “But the fact is, leaders in both parties have recognized the value of a partnership between the White House and faith-based groups.” He thus embraced the heart of a program, established early in the Bush administration, that critics say blurs the constitutional separation of church and state. Mr. Obama made clear, however, that he would work to ensure that charitable groups receiving government funds be carefully monitored to prevent them from using the money to proselytize and to prevent any religion-based discrimination against potential recipients or employees.
"First, if you get a federal grant, you can't use that grant money to proselytize to the people you help and you can't discriminate against them – or against the people you hire – on the basis of their religion. Second, federal dollars that go directly to churches, temples, and mosques can only be used on secular programs. And we'll also ensure that taxpayer dollars only go to those programs that actually work."
Her voice shaking, a Denison woman challenged Obama to discuss his faith at a time she said "people are trying to take God out" of the public sphere, including removal of a 10 Commandments display in Alabama. "If we have free speech, why are we taking God out?" she asked. Obama responded, "I don't think, generally, Christians are being persecuted in this country." He said there are lots of prayers in the public sphere, including in Congress. "This is a country where faith is vibrant," said Obama, a member of the United Church of Christ. "But we also have a pluralistic society, we are not just a Christian nation," Obama added, mentioning lots of Americans are Jewish, Muslim, other faiths or nonbelievers. "It is important for churches not to have too much entanglement with government," he said. The woman lamented that there is no prayer in public schools, and Obama said it is entirely appropriate that schools have moments of silence, in which silent prayers can be offered.