January 26, 2006
Summoning all Social Service Providers and Professionals!
Tell the President and Congress to Oppose Government-Funded
Religious Discrimination!
The religious liberty of Americans
is under attack.
Some members of Congress and the Bush
administration are campaigning to allow taxpayer funds to be
used for religious discrimination.
Under the guise of the so-called “faith-based
initiative,” advocates
are seeking to roll back longstanding civil rights protections
in federal social service programs as well as apply a provision
known as “charitable choice” to some of these same
programs.
Such proposals seek to grant religious social
service providers – who
have long provided admirable and essential services to America's
communities – the right to discriminate, proselytize
and play by different rules than other charities while spending
tax dollars. If these efforts are successful, social workers,
psychologists, counselors, teachers, and others seeking to
work in tax-funded social service programs could be denied
jobs solely because of their faith.
This would be a radical
shift away from the American tradition of religious freedom.
The National Association of Social Workers is a member of the
Coalition Against Religious Discrimination, a group of religious,
civil rights, labor, education, health, and advocacy organizations
who believe in defending the First Amendment and the religious
liberty of all Americans.
Read more, and sign a letter to the president and Congress,
at www.StopReligiousDiscrimination.org
Supporting the good work of faith-based social service providers
should not mean abandoning basic American ideals. We must not
allow the vital services of faith-based groups to become co-opted
by the government as mere government-funded religion.
The government
already can and does work collaboratively with faith-based
organizations. It has long granted tax dollars to religious
social service providers that agree not to discriminate in
hiring or providing services, and that operate their social
services in a secular manner. These types of religiously affiliated
charities do not deny people employment based on faith, nor
do they mix religious activity in with their government-funded
services.
The president and members of Congress need to hear
that allowing religious discrimination with federal funds is
unconstitutional and wrong.
As a social worker, join the fight
to protect freedom of religion and the First Amendment. Add
your name to the growing list of Americans who oppose government
funding of religion and religious discrimination.
Visit www.StopReligiousDiscrimination.org to
sign an open letter to the president and Congress.
Legislation allowing discrimination in essential programs like
Head Start and job training under the Workforce Investment
Act will soon come before Congress. ACT NOW to send a
message to our lawmakers. Religious freedom is an American
value. Discrimination is not: www.StopReligiousDiscrimination.org
Thank
you,
Dina L. Zarrella, MSS/MLSP
Senior Field Organizer
National Association of Social Workers
(202) 336-8218 |
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