Written by Don Byrd
Last week, the Baptist Joint Committee urged legislators in the U.S. House of Representatives to oppose a bill that would make churches and other houses of worship eligible for direct federal emergency aid. H.R. 592 passed the House despite the substantial church-state concerns raised by the BJC and other religious liberty advocates. As the measure heads to the Senate, BJC Executive Director Brent Walker explains in detail why this law is a bad idea, and clearly contrary to the Supreme Court decisions in this area.
The First Amendment’s Establishment Clause simply does not permit government to provide outright grants or similar financial support to churches and other houses of worship. Simply put, we do not allow taxpayer dollars to build churches; we should not allow taxpayer dollars to be used to rebuild churches either.
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And even though the Court has loosened the reins somewhat on indirect aid to religious institutions (e.g. educational equipment and school vouchers), it continues to make clear that direct monetary contributions of taxpayer dollars create “special Establishment Clause dangers.” (Mitchell v. Helms, 2000).Happily, we have ways to empathize with and provide aid to churches and other religious organizations damaged by the terrible storm. Of course, money to help churches rebuild can come through the private sector. Denominational efforts and grants from foundations and contributions of the faithful, as well as insurance proceeds, should not be overlooked.
Read the whole thing. We all hate to see any damage to houses of worship caused by natural disaster. Our instincts of course will be to cheer any funding assistance. But a deeper damage can be done to our constitutional principles by allowing direct government funding of religious institutions. It’s not the easy calls that demonstrate our commitment to religious liberty; it’s the tough ones. Opposing this bill may not be the easy thing to do, but it is the right thing.
