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What is JAC's Position?
JAC is committed to the viewpoint that religion-state separation strengthens religious freedom and has allowed expression of all beliefs to flourish.
Religion-State issues can be divided into two categories. The first is government funding of religion — which includes school vouchers and charitable choice. The second is government promotion of religion — which includes prayer in schools and other public venues and posting of the ten commandments and other sectarian symbols in public buildings.
JAC's view, like that of many Jewish organizations, is that school vouchers may threaten religious liberties. Since eighty-five percent of all private schools are religiously affiliated, and three out of five private school students attend Roman Catholic schools, vouchers would require all Americans to contribute to the religious operations that run private schools. These schools can also set their own criteria for who can attend, forcing taxpayers to pay for schools that might not accept their own children.
An area we watch carefully is provision of social services by faith-based organizations that receive US funds. While faith-based organizations such as Jewish Federation and Catholic Charities have long provided social services with government assistance, the services themselves have been non-sectarian and provided, for the most part, in non-religious settings without religious messages, without religious discrimination and with other appropriate safeguards. All that began to change with the inclusion of "charitable choice" in the Welfare Reform Act of 1996. Under charitable choice, government aid could go to groups that consider proselytizing an important part of their mission and that retain the right to establish their own criteria in hiring and firing employees (i.e., discriminate on the basis of religion). The Obama Administration, through its Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, has reinstated rules against proselytizing and employment discrimination and has included secular organizations in its plans for delivery of services. As long as these safeguards are in place, JAC supports the Administration's approach to government aid to faith-based organizations.
US-Israel Relations | Reproductive Rights
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