This month two initiatives of the Bush family have been reported in various news sources. The first seems to be buried in the "alternative" press, while the other seems to be confined to Florida media organizations. Both are somewhat troubling.
The first initiative has been labelled by critics "Faith-based Parks". This program has allowed plaques with scripture to be placed in the nation's national parks, particularly at the Grand Canyon, and has also introduced texts in the Park bookshop that claim that the Canyon was created just a few thousand years ago along the creationist line of thinking. At the same time Park Rangers have not been allowed to discuss creationism as not being backed by scientific evidence.
This part of the "Faith-Based Parks" program is bad enough, worse is the Park Services exclusion of anti-war, pro-choice, and civil rights demonstrations at the Lincoln memorial from a documentary video at the request of conservative groups, who argued that to keep those events in the video implies that Abraham Lincoln supported those causes. At the same time, religious conservatives have lobbied to get their causes included into the Park Service's video.
The second issue, sponsored by Jeb Bush's administration in Florida is a new "Faith-based" prison, where inmates are rewarded for participating in Bible Study and turning their lives over to God.
The problem with these governmentally funded and/or promoted plans is that they fly in the face of the First Amendment, which according to the copy that came with my Franklin Covey inserts reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."
What this part of the First Amendment means at the Federal level is pretty clear. The national government can not do anything that promotes a specific religion. First Amendment issues for the states are, however, open to debate. What this means is that George W. Bush's policy of providing federal funding for, or allowing, specific religious messages on Federal property is illegal. So would kowtowing to the demands of religious groups to change federal publications for religious reasons.
As for the Florida prison program, its legality hinges on whether the state receives Federal funding for the operation of the prison, and upon Florida's state Constitution. In either case, the ability for Americans to believe as they choose is under assault by both programs.
One way to look at it is this: would most Christians, conservative or otherwise, be happy going to a national park (are incarcerated in a prison) that has religious explanations for how the park was created along Buddhist, Hindu, Pagan, or Greco-Roman lines? Would this be a violation of their religious freedom? if the answer is yes, then the faith-based governmental programs is clearly a violation of the Constitution.
Posted by Chris at January 28, 2004 11:15 AM