Tag Archives: religious discrimination

Update on Campus Christian Group Supreme Case

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The Associated Press published an update to the University of California’s Hastings College of the Law vs. Christian Legal Society that I posted earlier about. It includes some of the questions and responses during the US Supreme Court session.

Alito asked Garre what the practical effects of Hastings’ policy will be for groups. Say “there is a small Muslim group; it has 10 students. If the group is required to accept anybody who applies for membership, and 50 students who hate Muslims show up and they want to take over that group, you say First Amendment allows that?” Alito said.

Garre said that has never happened to a group.

“CLS obviously thinks this is a real threat,” Alito said. “Now, what do you propose that they do?”

Garre said the members who are now outnumbered can leave the group.

“If hostile members take over, former members of CLS can form CLS 2?” Alito asked skeptically.

The Christian group could require knowledge of the Bible to join, Garre said. “There is a fundamental difference between excluding people on the basis of merit and excluding people on the basis of status or belief that has no connection to merit,” he said.

Court Splits Sharply On Campus Christian Argument

Just as I wrote earlier, these Christian groups that have issues with excluding people who don’t subscribe to their beliefs are worried about having their groups taken over by their opponents. That has never happened as far as I know.

The problem is if you want state recognition and funds you can’t exclude people based on beliefs.

Court To Hear Arguments On Campus Christian Group

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There is a current conflict between religious college campus groups who discriminate and the non-discrimination policies many colleges have. The US Supreme Court is planning on visiting the issue. It seems clear to me.

Having attended college and experienced first hand the rules groups have to abide by for recognition and funding, it doesn’t seem like a big deal for Christian groups to let people who don’t follow their strict moral rules to attend and lead the group. We’re not talking about a Church.

I just think the group in question, and most strict campus religious groups are paranoid about having their groups taken over – which rarely if ever happens.

The California university said it requires all registered student organizations to be nondiscriminatory if they want to operate on campus, regardless of viewpoint.

Groups that support gay rights “cannot exclude students who believe homosexuality is morally wrong any more than CLS is permitted to exclude students who believe it is not,” university lawyer Gregory Garre said in court papers.

Court To Hear Arguments On Campus Christian Group

Obama moves away from religious favoritism but fails to remove discriminatory rules

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During the campaign President Barack Obama promised to change how the federal government gave money to religious groups. While he did change the title of the office created under President Bush, he has yet to remove the rules and regulations that allowed religious groups to discriminate when getting federal grant money.

It is no secret that some of groups that provide social services in the country were founded and operated by religious groups. It is part of their ministry to run charities. In some cases these charities receive tax dollars to pay for those operations. Before President Bush created the Office of Faith-Based Initiatives, those religious groups who wanted federal money had to apply like all charities and be subject to the same rules against discrimination. In the case of religion, programs operated by religious groups weren’t allowed to proselytize to clients.

President Bush changed that. He relaxed rules on religious groups and even allowed tax dollars to pay for construction and renovation of buildings used for worship.

President Obama changed the title of the office to Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and we in the secular community thought that was a huge start, short of doing away with the office all together. However, it seems Obama has yet to rescind the Bush era rules that made the office such a bad idea in the first place.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State today expressed disappointment that President Barack Obama’s “faith-based” initiative is being rolled out without repeal of Bush-era policies that violate civil rights and civil liberties.

Obama issued an executive order today (Feburary 5th) appointing Joshua DuBois as executive director of the White House faith-based office and setting up an advisory council on faith-based and other issues.

President George W. Bush’s faith-based initiative allowed religious groups that accept tax funding to engage in discriminatory hiring and celebrated faith-based groups that proselytize. Today’s Obama action leaves the Bush executive orders in place including one that specifically authorizes religion-based employment discrimination in publicly funded programs.

Americans United Says President Obama’s ‘Faith-Based’ Program Lacks Adequate Constitutional Safeguards

As of the date of this post, President Obama hasn’t made the changes yet. Americans United are asking for people to contact the President and demand the changes.