Coalition to Preserve Religious Freedom
Coalition to Preserve Religious Freedom
New religious freedom coalition launched.
The Coalition to Preserve Religious Freedom is a multi-faith alliance of faith-based organizations devoted to preserving the freedom and autonomy of religious organizations that partner with government or are affected by government regulation. Key concerns include preserving and extending the freedom of faith-based organizations to use religious criteria in hiring staff members (whether or not the organizations accept government funds) and ensuring that federal laws and statutes respect both the religious character of faith-based organizations and the religious liberty of the people they serve. Members of the coalition represent diverse religious traditions and diverse organizations that serve the public good. Coalition organizations meet monthly on the third Thursday of each month in Washington, DC. The Coalition works with citizens, government leaders, and the media to advocate public policies that protect the religious freedom of all citizens and religious organizations. Instead of supporting the idea of a "naked public square" or an incorrect interpretation of "separation of church and state" in which an ideology of secularism is permitted to marginalize and privatize all religious ways of life that should legitimately flourish in the public square, the Coalition advocates true government neutrality to promote full religious freedom for people of all faiths consistent with the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
For further information, please contact Stanley Carlson-Thies (stanley@cpjustice.org) or Stephen Lazarus (stephen@cpjustice.org) at the Center for Public Justice, 410-571-6300.
Resources
Materials for Briefing Packet
(Please download to create folder to leave behind for office visits)
- 1. Talking Points on TANF and Charitable Choice (PDF)(Coalition document)
- 2. Executive Summaries of Two Studies on Charitable Choice in Practice by Dr. Amy Sherman
- Fruitful Collaboration: A Survey of Government Funded Faith-Based Programs in 15 States. New Survey Shows Charitable Choice Promotes Expanded, Respectful Faith-Based Services
- 15 State Study of Charitable Choice Implementation
Both PDFs available at http://www.hudsonfaithincommunities.org/fic/charitable.html
- 3. Op-Eds by Nathan Diament
- 4. GAO Charitable Choice report (Sept. 2002) -- CHARITABLE CHOICE: Federal Guidance on Statutory Provisions Could Improve Consistency of Implementation (PDF)
- 5. "Ten Reasons for Religious Staffing" (PDF) -- Why the religious staffing freedom in civil rights law is legal, constitutional, and necessary. (Coalition document)
- 6. "The Case for "Discrimination" by Ron Sider, First Things, June/July 2002 (online)
- 7. "Charitable Choice is Progressive Social Policy Promoting the Public Trust" by Stanley Carlson-Thies and John DiIulio (online)
- 8. "Religious Rights: Why the Catholic Church Shouldn't Have to Hire Gays" by Jeffrey Rosen, The New Republic, 2/26/01. (online)
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