Funding The Base

Raw Story Reports

Earmarks setting aside federal funds for religious organizations -- including Christian groups openly focused on conversions and missionary work -- are on the rise in appropriations bills in both the US House and Senate.

According to analysis from Roll Call, which reviewed the contents of appropriations bills in the 2008 fiscal year, "scores of religious organizations across the country are being singled out...from earmarks for local Catholic Charities USA organizations to funding for research programs at private universities to faith-based drug treatment and jobs programs."

Although the paper points out that the bulk of the money for such groups is specifically funneled to secular projects, some of the funds are targeted at organizations "whose primary mission is evangelical."

The uptick in such earmarks has some activist organizations, such as Americans United for Separation of Church and State, concerned about a perceived increase in the blurring of the lines between religion and government.

"The trend of earmarking federal funding for faith-based organizations is a real problem," Dana Sher, the group's state legislative counsel, told Roll Call. "Under the Constitution, government funding cannot be used to endorse religion; it cannot be used for religious activities; and it cannot be used to construct buildings for religious purposes."

Other watchdog organizations are also critical of the practice, citing what they believe are inherent dangers in Congress hand-picking faith-based causes it deems worthy of funding.

"Earmarks are about picking winners and losers, and it gets more touchy when religion comes into it," Steve Ellis, the vice president for programs of the group Taxpayers for Common Sense, said. "That starts raising red flags."

One earmark, proposed by Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) consisted of a "$100,000 provision to fund a science education program by the Louisiana Family Forum," according to Roll Call. "The LFF has long opposed the teaching of evolution-only science curricula in state schools, and the grant would have gone toward a project to encourage schools to teach creationist theories of development as well."

Vitter later bowed to pressure from the ACLU and others, removing that specific earmark.

Americans United for the Separation of Church and State also highlights government funding for the the Christian ministry World Impact, Inc., which received $1.9 million in earmarked money this year "from California, Kansas and Missouri Members of the House and Senate."

On its website, World Impact describes itself as "a Christian missions organization dedicated to ministering God's love in the inner cities of America. Its purpose is to honor and glorify God and delight in Him in the inner cities by knowing God and making Him known." The group also provides tutoring, vocational training and drug treatment programs.

Read the full article in Roll Call (subscription required).