First up from The God Machine this week is a story about one of the glaring problems with rewarding religious ministries through faith-based federal appropriations.
In theory, it was simple: Congress gave two decommissioned Coast Guard cutters to a faith-based group in California, directing that the ships be used only to provide medical services to islands in the South Pacific.
Coast Guard records show that the ships have been providing those services in the South Pacific since the medical mission took possession of them in 1999.
In reality, the ships never got any closer to the South Pacific islands than the San Francisco Bay. The mission group quickly sold one to a maritime equipment company, which sold it for substantially more to a pig farmer who uses it as a commercial ferry off Nicaragua. The group sold the other ship to a Bay Area couple who rent it for eco-tours and marine research.
Got that? A GOP lawmaker quietly gave a ministry some ships for secular work (medical assistance). The ministry sold the ships and made nearly a half-million dollars (on cop shows, they call this “flipping” property). The government didn’t know about any of this — under the faith-based initiative, there’s no accountability, audits, or follow-through after the earmark goes through. Religious groups get all the benefits and none of the strings. The government just assumes ministries are doing good work and deserve the unchecked earmarks.
Former Rep. Frank Riggs (R-Calif.), whose staff drafted the earmark, said it “would raise concerns” if the ships were “not used as intended.” Guess what, Frank? The religious group received government property, sold it, and used the money for religious purposes. And with ministries getting over 900 accountability-free earmarks in recent years, there’s no telling how often this happens.
A friend of mine summarized this nicely: “This abuse would not have occurred if lawmakers had respected the Constitution. We need to get back to basics. Religious groups should use money they raise voluntarily to pay for their endeavors and not expect handouts from the taxpayers. As for faith-based earmarks, they sooner they are torpedoed, the better.”
Next up is a story that undercuts the myth that universities are filled with secular-humanist professors who drive impressionable college students away from their faith traditions.
Inside Higher Ed reports today on a related question: do university faculties shot through with secular humanists make college kids less religious? The answer appears to be no. A study that tracked 10,000 subjects for seven years between adolescence and young adulthood found that among those who didn’t attend college, 76% reported a decline in church attendance. Conversely, college grads reported only a 59% drop. The study found similar results on two other measures of religious activity.
Needless to say, I’m bitterly disappointed. The shock troops of atheism are apparently falling down on the job. Better get cracking, folks.
And finally this week, remember several months ago when the right flipped out because Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) took his oath of office on a Koran? Well, one unhinged religious-right leader is worried about what happens if there’s a Mormon president.
Reverend Lou Sheldon, Chairman of Traditional Values Coalition and one of the members of Mitt Romney’s Faith and Values Steering Committee, told The Brody File that he asked Mitt Romney point blank whether he would put his hand on the Bible or the Book of Mormon if he is ever sworn in as President of the United States.
His answer? The Bible.
Whew. One less faith-based crisis for the religious right to worry about.