Washington – A group of clergy and lawmakers is trying to overturn a nearly decade-old policy that allows faith-based organizations that receive federal funds to hire and fire employees on the basis of religion.
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Critics say President Obama has reneged on a campaign promise to repeal the policy, which was put into place by President Bush in 2002.
“It is shocking that we would even be having a debate about whether basic civil rights practices should apply to programs run with federal dollars,” said Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va.
“There is just no justification for sponsors of government-funded programs to tell job applicants, ‘We don’t hire your kind.'”
Bush introduced the policy to advance what he deemed a more faith-friendly federal approach toward charitable organizations that receive federal contracts for social services. Previously, groups that received government money were forbidden to consider religion in their employment decisions.
Bush, however, argued that while an organization accepting federal support could not refuse to help people based on their religion, it should be able to take religion into account when hiring and firing employees.
Many religious organizations — particularly conservative ones — hailed the overall initiative and continue to support it.
This policy makes sense when it comes to employment decisions for a religious function like a rebbe, chazan, mashgiach etc. However, organizations taking public tax money and grants should not be allowed to discriminate when it comes to hiring janitors, secretaries, etc. If they want to discriminate, simply don’t take public money.
Oy vey! One of our civil rights is to have faith based organizations that can practice their faith in their conduct of services. Why should any of our heimishe organizations hire someone of a different faith to administer services when the clientele being serviced want specifically someone heimish? This is a thorny area, I know, but the civil rights question goes both ways here. The decision should not be politically driven to please the bureaucrats that will tell us what we should want.
ISTR that the Lubavitcher Rebbe preferred yeshivos hiring non-Jews to frum Jews for teaching secular subjects. Reason: children are more likely to believe what’s taught, when taught by frum Jews.
oh well there goes my idea to hire pope benedict as chazzan on yom kippur