The Freedom From Religion Foundation will be in oral argument before the Supreme Court next week, challenging President Bush's Faith Based Initiative.
I hope they succeed, though I think they won't.
I want them to succeed not because I oppose charities, or because I oppose President Bush. I want them to succeed because government funding of religion can easily lead to government direction of religion (or a state-run religion), which is what I think the First Amendment sought to avoid.
This is the same reason I oppose religious intrusion into government - because I fear government intrusion in religion. I don't want the government to tell me how I should pray, or to whom I should pray. I don't want it telling me which version of the 10 commandments is right. I especially wouldn't want the government to tell me that my representation does not matter if I am not of the same faith or denomination as those in charge, as would be the implication for all the Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, Taoists, Wiccans, and others in America.
I think one of the overarching goals of our government, based on the representative democracy principles, is to help ensure that the minority viewpoint can be protected from the oppression of the majority, and I think that one aspect of this is the Faith Based Initiative, which, though perhaps noble in intent, runs contrary to how I view the First Amendments proscription on establishment of religion, and the Lemon Test's Endorsement test.
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