I really don't see how the government will prevent religious discrimination? How will they balance the funds between all religions equitably? Personally, I think there are plenty of secular "neighborhood healers" available to give money to. Funding religious groups, regardless of the reasons, seems like an unnecessary entangling of gov't and religion.
Its not a matter of 'balancing funds between all religions equitably'. The issue is whether the First Amendment mandates the government to discriminate against a charitable organization by excluding it from access to public grants for which its services would qualify but for the basis of religious affiliation, regardless of how well they separate their charitable activities from their religious activities.
Everson v. Board of Education ruled it was
not a violation of separation of church and state for the State of New Jersey or local school boards to bus children to Catholic schools using public dollars, even if it gave the appearance of 'supporting' or 'facilitating' attendance of these religious schools.
In fact, Everson went as far as to imply that it would be unconstitutional for government to exclude or deny any person, persons, or organizations from receiving the full benefit of any publicly funded services rendered in support of the general welfare, which would included public grants, on the basis of religion.
For instance, Catholic schools could not be denied the benefits of public police protection in the event that some deranged man appeared at the school with a gun.
By the misreading of the First Amendment by atheists, churches should be forced to fend for themselves in the event of a fire or emergency, because it could be reasoned that using public monies to protect a church or church-goers violates the separation of church and state. Catholic schools could not be permitted to utilize or benefit from any public services for which taxes are levied to support. Police would have to ignore the safety and well-being of children walking to a Catholic school lest it be construed that tax dollars are being used to aid and abet the attendance of a religious institution.
If public grants are created pursuant to the general welfare interest of the state and certain public interest causes are targeted to be supported or promoted by those grants, would it not be a violation of both equal protection
and the First Amendment to discriminate against a charitable organization by excluding it from access to public grants for which its services would qualify but for religious affiliation, regardless of how well they separate their charitable activities from their religious activities?
As Everson put it: "That Amendment requires the state to be a neutral in its relations with groups of religious believers and nonbelievers;
it does not require the state to be their adversary. State power is no more to be used so as to handicap religions than it is to favor them."
Facebook
Twitter