Last Thursday, President George W. Bush visited Philadelphia, the city of Brotherly Love founded by Quaker settlers, to tout his latest initiative to increase the involvement of religious groups in carrying out the federal government’s goals. While his remarks were punctuated by calls of “amen” by the group of religious and community activists assembled for his address, the actual measure that he was unveiling is worthy of anything but praise.

Bush’s new executive order will allow religious groups to receive public funds, regardless of their hiring practices. As a result, groups can refuse to employ people who do not share their religion or their morals—opening the door to discrimination based on religion and sexual orientation.

The First Amendment guarantees each American’s freedom of religion and ensures that no religion is sanctioned or favored by the government. Bush’s order, however, essentially exempts religious groups from federal civil rights laws and non-discrimination policies. Giving religious groups a blank check to discriminate in hiring practices at the same time that secular groups are prohibited from doing so sets a policy of bias in favor of religious groups—a clear violation of the separation of church and state.

Religious groups do a great deal of good for millions of people across the country every day. But when a group is granted taxpayers’ dollars, that money comes with the condition that the group use it in a way that follows the laws passed by the government. Regardless of the views of private organizations, the law has condemned discriminatory hiring, and that decision must be respected by all groups seeking public support.

More troubling, however, is that this measure tacitly approves of religious groups who would seek to subtly infuse their service delivery with a religious message. Presumably, if these religious groups were going to deliver services without forcing their particular denomination’s message on those who come to them in need, any person, regardless of religion, would be able to perform the tasks related to that job. Telling groups that they can vet non-believers from the ranks of their employees is a step towards allowing federal money to subsidize proselytizing.

There are legions of volunteers from various religious groups who help needy people across America. This will not change as a result of Bush’s executive order, though there will be less federal money to go around. What will change is the dynamic between America’s secular government and the special considerations given to its religious institutions.

The idea of a secular democracy is that people get together to help one another through a social network based on equality and fairness. The civil rights movement did a great deal to make sure that this fairness was expanded, and its victories are too valuable to erode because of Bush’s penchant for catering to conservatives.

Dissent: Don't Discriminate Against Religion

President Bush’s executive order says that federal agencies shall no longer discriminate against religious groups—groups which are founded upon religious principles and which hire as such—in grants of federal funding. The president’s order is consistent with the first, second and fifth clauses of the First Amendment; the Staff’s position is not.

The Staff holds that discrimination is okay—so long as it is against religious groups that the Staff says “discriminate.” Religious groups, of their very nature, operate on principles of objective morality. This belief obviously conflicts with the belief of those whose actions transgress this objective morality. It is not for the government to decide between these parties.

The First Amendment is blind to such religious beliefs, protecting the private beliefs of all parties; the Staff would end such equality.

—Paul C. Schultz ’03