Americans United Opposes Taxpayer Funding Of Houses Of Worship

Source: Americans United for Separation of Church and State
May 10, 2011

Americans United for Separation of Church and State has urged the Obama administration to ensure that taxpayer funds are not spent to erect and rehabilitate houses of worship abroad.

In comments submitted to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Americans United asserts that a rule change proposed by the Obama administration will violate Americans’ religious liberty rights.

Regulations issued under President George W. Bush state that U.S. tax funds may not underwrite the construction of buildings used primarily for worship. Under the proposed new rules, the government could construct any facility, including houses of worship, that might “promote tourism or other related economic activities.”

Said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United, “The government cannot use taxpayer money to build churches, mosques or temples in America, and it shouldn’t be permitted to do it overseas either. Houses of worship should be built and maintained by their members, not the taxpayers.”

LINK: http://www.au.org/media/press-releases/archives/2011/05/au-opposes-taxpayer-funding.html
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Opening text of letter from AU to:

Ari Alexander
Director
Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
U.S. Agency for International
Development, Room 6.07–023
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20523

Re: Proposed Rule on Participation by Religious Organizations in USAID Programs

Dear Mr. Alexander:

We write to submit comments regarding the proposed rule entitled “Participation by
Religious Organizations in USAID Programs” (hereinafter “Proposed Rule”), which
was published in the Federal Register on March 25, 2011. We oppose the proposed
changes because they are likely to result in unconstitutional uses of federal funds
and violate fundamental principles of religious freedom. Furthermore, the Proposed
Rule contradicts the Administration's asserted goal of and its established framework
for reforming the Faith-Based Initiative to strengthen its constitutional footing.

We, frankly, are dismayed that this Administration has chosen to offer this
Proposed Rule as its first regulatory change to the Faith-Based Initiative. The
current rule, put in place by the Bush Administration, already lacks proper churchstate
safeguards, as it allows the funding of buildings that serve both explicitly
religious and secular purposes.1 Nonetheless, USAID has offered a Proposed Rule
that even further weakens the religious freedom safeguards. Indeed, this rule would
actually permit the federal government to construct churches, mosques, and temples
with taxpayer funds as long as the government has a justification as insubstantial
that the construction might “promote tourism or other related economic activities.”
This clearly violates the U.S. Constitution and our nation’s fundamental values.
Whereas the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood
Partnerships (“the Council”) has suggested that the Administration “strengthen
constitutional and legal footing”2 of the Faith-Based Initiative, this Proposed Rule
further weakens both.

Full text (PDF. format) available at: http://www.au.org/media/press-releases/archives/2011/05/au_usaid_regulation_comments.pdf

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Edited to add highlighting.

and 'religious' orgs in the USA, too!