Obama's faith-based inertia

Why should this be a surprise? The GOP won't even let *appointees for vacant slots in regulatory agencies be confirmed,* never mind tell the teabaggers to hold off half a minute for *anything.*

They started off screaming, "He wants too much, too soon," and then after a year of stopping *anything* from happening, say, "Look! Obama hasn't gotten anything done!"

Well, *duh.*

Where people of faith are concerned government can never over rule God. But human beings who try to enforce their understanding of God on others is against the founding principals of this country. In this case government must speak and act in a way that benefits the most of its citizens. Religious people should never be compelled to act against their faith. But we also need to understand at times that compromise may be necessary if we are going to accept public funding.

monty keeling

Let's hope the religious continue to be disappointed in Obama ... that means he is doing something right!

Get these religious corporations out of our government and off the public dole. They don't pay taxes and their leaders live between then 80% of the American public who do pay taxes. They all have health insurance and a roof over their heads, yet none of them have backed the President in his effort to do what Christ would want him to do and that is find a way to insure every single American.

They are only interested in abortion, but the deaths of the uninsured means nothing to them. Microscopic cells outweigh living and breathing citizens. Every religious corporation in America has become political and urge their followers to vote only for those they consider anti everything their corporate heads are anti.

It is sickening to us citizens to see these businesses getting away without paying taxes and making the rest of us shoulder the cost of everything they benefit from.
Just like the pharmaceutical industries that charge us dumb Americans exorbitant prices for our medicines claiming we must pay for the research and yet they sell the medicines overseas at one-fourth the cost we pay.

I wish Obama and every President would have the moral turpitude and guts to say NO to the religious corporations. They are not just religious entities, they are family businesses with high dollar profits who get away with murder. Just look at the wealth holdings of most popular "preachers".

All of them have safely secured their wealth by turning their God businesses over to their sons to insure the family stays fabulously wealthy, Their businesses are about their personal wealth, not God Almighty. If it was about God, they would all be out on the streets of America helping the most helpless amongst us.

Maybe if the Right Reverend Wright were in charge Obama might come to life.

Faith-based groups that discriminate in hiring and proselytize should NOT get any taxpayer money.

Having said that, I volunteer for two basically religious groups that do not ask your faith or religion and also do not ask recipients of help those things either.

St. Vincent de Paul is one of the groups and helps anyone regardless of that person's beliefs. They do not ask volunteers such as myself my religious affiliation and do not force me to believe as most of the members do.

Salvation Army is glad for my help in their thrift store and/or as a bell ringer, not asking or requiring me to be of the Christian faith.

I consider myself to be an"equal opportunity heathen" and describe myself in that way. Helping others should not be dependent on one's religious beliefs, but in a deep-seated wish to help those in need, regardless of creed, color or any other factor.

The real problem with the faith-based initiative -- under Bush and Obama -- is that it's a fundamentally flawed concept. The federal government and U.S. religious groups serve two different masters.

I would agree and add an additional reason - there's no valid reason to exclude secular charities from the initiative.

Why is there even a conversation about this?

Why is the Federal Government writing checks to churches?

Haven't we heard about the separation of church and state?

Re: "If both religious progressives and conservatives are finding fault with Obama's faith-based inertia,..."

Barry Lynn is not a "religious progressive"--his group, and most of the other opponents of the faith-based plan on the left, are SECULAR progressives.

Regrettably, what’s missing from this article is context to better understand the commonly mistaken belief that this policy became legal during the Bush Administration.

The truth is, this policy dates back more than 45 years when LBJ signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Congress recognized the right of all religious organizations to consider religion in hiring staff. Moreover, in 1972, Congress clarified in legislation that this right extends to every position in a religious organization – from the mail room to the corner officer. Finally, a unanimous Supreme Court upheld in 1987 that this exemption for religious employers does not violate the Constitution.

Thus, long before George W. Bush moved into the White House, all three branches of government (Dare I say it?) “blessed” the opportunity for religious organizations to hire employees who share their faith, whether Muslim, Buddhist, Jewish, or Christian.

www.hhs.gov/fbci

"The Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships

The HHS Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships (The Partnership Center), formerly the HHS Center for Faith-based and Community Initiatives, is a resource for SECULAR and faith-based nonprofits and community organizations seeking to:

•Increase their impact in their communities.
•Make the most of what HHS has to offer.
•Understand federal grant opportunities and responsibilities.

Partnership Center News:

The Partnership Center is proud to bring to you, H1N1 Flu: A Guide for COMMUNITY & Faith-based Organizations. This guide provides specific action steps that community and faith-based organizations can take to help keep communities healthy during flu season, including:

•Communicating important information about flu,
•Supporting vaccination efforts,
•Linking vulnerable and hard-to-reach populations to vital information and resources,
•Expanding and adjusting organizational activities to help people stay healthy.

This guide was launched on September 24, 2009 during a teleconference with Secretary Sebelius and Assistant Surgeon General Anne Schuchat. [Listen] [Read Transcript (PDF-115KB]

You and your organization are crucial leaders and resources in your community, and essential partners in comprehensive state and local flu response. We hope you utilize this guide as you and your community take steps to prepare for, and respond to, flu."

In case your group would like to get funding from The HHS Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships (The Partnership Center), :

go to:

Funding Opportunities at www.hhs.gov/fbci/funding/

"This page seeks to connect faith-based and COMMUNITY organizations with current funding within HHS. Additionally, it provides resources to assist faith-based and COMMUNITY organizations looking to partner with the Federal government.

•Current Funding Opportunities
◦Human Services
◦Health/Substance Abuse Treatment
◦International
◦Research
•Opportunities for Faith-Based and Community Organizations at the State and Local Levels
•Catalogs and Tools to Search for Grants
•Become A Grant Reviewer
•Frequently Asked Questions about Grants and Funding for Faith-Based and Community Organizations"