NEW ORLEANS — President Bush yesterday ordered the Justice Department to begin releasing $3.7 billion aimed at helping religious charities and faith-based programs to aid victims of crime, prevent child victimization and make schools safer.
“This country must not fear the influence of faith in the future of this country. We must welcome faith in order to make America a better place,” the president said, drawing applause from several hundred members of Union Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, a majority black church in the city’s downtown.
Mr. Bush a year ago tried to push through Congress elements of his faith-based initiative, but lawmakers balked, many saying it violated a constitutional mandate for separation of church and state. Since then, he has implemented several tenets of his program by executive order.
At the small, inner-city church, Mr. Bush lauded parishioners for their faith-based efforts, which include feeding the homeless, teaching neighborhood children karate and running a day care center.
“Problems that face our society are oftentimes problems that, you know, require something greater than just a government program or a government counselor to solve,” he said. “Intractable problems, problems that seem impossible to solve, can be solved. There is the miracle of salvation that is real, that is tangible, that is available for all to see.”
The president even mentioned the period in his life when he turned to faith for help.
“Many of the problems that are facing our society are problems of the heart. Addiction is the problem of a heart — of the heart. I know — I told this story before. I was a drinker. I quit drinking because I changed my heart. I guess I was a one-man, faith-based program,” he said, drawing laughter.
The Rev. Barry W. Lynn, the executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said Mr. Bush is trying to overturn two centuries of church-state separation required by the Constitution and institute “taxpayer-subsidized job discrimination” by allowing taxpayer-funded groups to hire and fire based on religious beliefs.
But the president said faith-based programs do not violate the spirit of America’s founders.
“Faith-based programs are only effective because they do practice faith. It’s important for our government to understand that.”
The president’s order yesterday builds on several others from September, which included freeing up $8 billion in Housing and Urban Development funds and $20 billion in Health and Human Services programs now under the coverage of equal-treatment or charitable-choice regulations.
“The president has very — with great steadfast resolve, pushed ahead with the faith-based initiative from the first week that he’s been in office,” Jim Towey, director of the White House Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Office, told reporters aboard Air Force One.
“Last year, there were four regulatory changes that were finalized, in addition to five new regulations that were proposed — all of which seek to level the playing field, so that faith-based organizations can compete fairly for grants from the federal government,” he said.
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