Urge Your Representative to Oppose Religious Discrimination

Our religious freedom is at risk in Bush's faith-based government funding. New rules will allow government funded agencies to discriminate based on religion in hiring workers. This is a extremely dangerous proposal that could result religious encroachment and eventual control of government function purchased in the private sector. If you have ever felt uncomfortable with official imposition of any religious belief by any organization, then you must act to support an amendment to to the proposed law.

Urge Your Representative to Oppose Religious Discrimination

The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote next week on a bill that would further President Bush's faith-based program for government-funded religion. The bill would allow organizations that receive our tax dollars to discriminate against employees on the basis of their religion. An amendment to restore civil rights protections is expected to be introduced by Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia. This civil rights amendment should be supported.

Act Now to Urge Congress to Oppose Government-Funded Religious Discrimination!

The proposed legislation would jeopardize civil rights and religious freedom because it would roll back protection against discrimination or misuse of government funds by religious organizations. For the first time ever, it would allow religious organizations involved in federal job training programs to discriminate according to religion when hiring staff for these taxpayer-funded services.

Non-profits -- whether religious or secular -- that provide taxpayer-funded services currently need to obey federal hiring guidelines. Under this proposal, religious non-profits would be able to hire individuals only from their particular regligion to provide thse taxpayer-funded services. For example, a highly qualified social worker might be rejected because she "wasn't the right kind of Christian" to work on a job training program.

Last Congress, similar attempts at relgious discrimination were beaten back thanks to the emails and letters sent by ACLU Action Network activists. We need to let Congress know that we are still standing strong against religious discrimination and do not want this legislation to pass unless critical civil rights protections are restored.

Click here for more information and to take action:

http://www.aclu.org/ReligiousLiberty/ReligiousLiberty.cfm?ID=17427&c=29