April 23, 2001
Poll: Americans favor faith
funding, but not for all faiths
___WASHINGTON (RNS/ ABP)--Americans overwhelmingly support the idea of allowing faith-based groups to receive government funds in exchange for social services, but only as long as those groups are part of the Judeo-Christian tradition.
___A new study released April 10 by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life found significant numbers of Americans oppose giving government money to groups such as Muslims, Buddhists, Scientologists and the Nation of Islam. Only 51 percent supported giving money to Mormons.
___"While the public expresses strong support for the idea of faith-based groups receiving government funding to provide social services, in practice, it has many reservations," the report said.
___About 75 percent of Americans support the idea of faith-based initiatives but also strongly oppose giving money to groups that would only hire people of the same faith. Under President Bush's faith-based plan, faith-based groups would be allowed to discriminate in hiring.
___The faith-based concept found strong support among African-Americans and Hispanics--81 percent support the idea--while a smaller percentage of whites, 68 percent, support the idea. Republicans also were much more likely to support the program than Democrats.
___Surprisingly, older Americans are more cautious in their support of the program. While 80 percent of people between the ages of 18 and 29 support faith-based initiatives, only 55 percent of retirees do.
___When asked which services faith-based groups can best provide, most Americans said they succeed in programs in which churches and synagogues have traditionally been involved. Faith-based groups scored higher on programs that help with feeding the homeless, prison counseling, mentoring and teen pregnancy, while the government was rated higher for literacy programs, health care and job training.
___Meanwhile, despite criticism of Bush's faith-based initiative, a bipartisan group of House lawmakers has unveiled the sweeping Community Solutions Act. The law would expand funding of religiously oriented social services and allow non-itemizers to deduct charitable giving from their taxable income.
___The effort in the House of Representatives comes just days after news that the more controversial "charitable choice" portion of the Bush initiative, which would fund religious ministries with tax dollars, would be stalled in the Senate.
___Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., said recently that Senate backers of the Bush initiative would proceed with the tax-incentive portions of the bill, but the charitable-choice provision could be delayed for as long as a year.
___Nevertheless, House Republican Conference Chairman J.C. Watts, R-Okla., joined by House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., and Rep. Tony Hall, D-Ohio, announced March 21 they plan to move forward with legislation that includes the charitable-choice initiative as well.
___Hastert said the "best remedy" for drug addiction and other social ills is provided by faith-based organizations.
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