George W. Bush's position on

Separation of Church & State: Much of the recent debate on the topic focuses on the area of the faith-based initiatives and the government's seemingly growing role in charities.

Faith-based Initiatives: On January 29, 2001, Bush showed his support for faith-based programs by creating the Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (OFBCI) and executive department centers for faith-based and community initiatives with five cabinet departments (Justice, Education, Labor, Health and Human Services and Housing and Urban Development).

Description of candidate's position: Bush showed his commitment to the issue by placing the broadening of opportunities for religious groups to compete for federal dollars at the top of his agenda. Bush issued an executive order to set up the new initiative which shows the high priority he places on the issue.

Quotation from the candidate: "Our goal is to end the unfair discrimination against faith-based charities by the federal government...So I signed an executive order, mandating equal treatment for faith-based charities in the federal grant-making process. What that means is that faith-based groups ought to be allowed to apply for federal grants just like everybody else should be allowed to apply. Faith-based groups will not be allowed to discriminate against who they serve, and they won't use the federal money to proselytize. But they're allowed to use the money to change hearts and souls, to help save lives, to embetter the world we live in…The fund provides grants to faith-based and community organizations, as well, to help them fund their programs for the poor and the hungry and the homeless. We've awarded $56 million under this program. Today I release another $43 million to the compassionate federal grant program." Remarks by the President to the 122nd Knights of Columbus Convention August 3, 2004. link

Assessment of the Proposal:

Positive: Hudson faith in communities states that, "A new survey of nearly 400 leaders from faith-based organizations (FBOs) holding government contracts for social service programs indicates that 92 percent of faith-based contractors providing social services with public funds are satisfied in their relationship with government.

Negative: Many at the CATO institute, which tends to lean conservative and support Republican candidates, were against such an initiative because they do not believe that the government should play such a large role in welfare systems in the US. "Government dollars come with strings attached and raise serious questions about the separation of church and state. Charities that accept government funds could find themselves overwhelmed with paperwork and subject to a host of federal regulations. As they became increasingly dependent on government money, faith-based charities could find their missions shifting, their religious character lost, the very things that made them so successful destroyed. In the end, Bush's proposal may transform private charities from institutions that change people's lives to mere providers of services, little more than a government program in a clerical collar. Most important, the whole idea of charity could become subtly corrupted; the difference between the welfare state and true charity could be blurred.

Comparison: Bush's record and usage of an executive order to create the new White House office of OFBCI shows that he supports and will continue to support the cause of faith-based initiatives if reelected. Bush seems to see that the government needs to step in and decide where and how much money is going to charities. Kerry on the other hand did not support OFBCI, because he believes that more freedom should be left to the charities themselves and this is why he would support efforts such as the CARE Act offers incentives but without actually directing to whom the money would go to.

Link to Kerry's Issue Brief.