Federal Grants for Faith Based Organizations

There has been an argument of whether it is justified for the government to give out faith based free government grants. The major argument is that religion and the government should be completely left separate and that if the government gives out grants to Christians, it is being prejudice against organizations or individuals who do not have Christian believes. They argue that America is a free country after all, and people should be able to worship whoever or whatever they want and only if they choose to. While I see where these people are coming from, I entirely disagree.
Although I do admit that I am partially biased due to the fact that my religion is probably the most defining element in my life and I am clearly Christian, I also have a factual based argument against this belief as well. The reason why the government gives out faith based free government grants is because these religious organizations spend this money on helping people. Religious organizations help alcoholics, homeless people, hungry people, children who need clothing and food etc. In a 2006 press conference Bush comments , “If you’re addicted to alcohol, and if a faith program is able to get you off alcohol,” the president told leaders of religious charities on Thursday, “we ought to say Hallelujah and thanks at the federal level.”
I couldn’t agree more. There is nothing prejudice about trying to help Americans who are facing problems. If an atheist wanted to setup an organization to help the homeless, or to help children in need he/she too would be able to get financial assistance from the government.
President Bush goes on his press conference to give an example of how a religious organization that helps the poor get home loans. Before qualifying for a government grant they were only able to help about one tenth of the people they are able to help now. She is now serving over 10,000 people. Not only is this amazing because it helps people and helps build up our social services department but it also helps out the economy as well. The more people we can get into houses, the more taxes are being paid and the better our economy gets.
This is just one example of the thousands of things that religious organizations do using free government grant money. I know it may be a stretch, but when people are so hyper-sensitive about the government being prejudice towards them they fail to see the big picture. I’m pretty sure if you asked the same people who are opposed to the government giving out faith based grants if they are also opposed to helping the homeless, feeding hungry children, etc. they would most certainly say no. It is my personal belief that people need to educate themselves with the entire situation before jumping to rash conclusions that the government is not separating church and state, or that the government is being prejudice towards them.

Faith Based Grants help those in need

When I was a child I remember a period when my family was struggling financially. We had never been “well off” but my parents made enough money to get by. Then one day my father came home from work looking pale and worried. He and my mother were talking privately in the kitchen. My sister and I were eavesdropping from around the corner. He told Mom that the company had lain off half of their employees and that he was given his notice and told he could pick up his last paycheck at the end of the week. He immediately began looking for other employment, but at that time it was difficult for him to find a fulltime job that would support us all. After a while, things began to get really stressful. We had eaten just about everything in the cupboard, and there was no money to buy more food. There were notices being put on our door that our power would soon be turned off if the bill wasn’t paid. Then came the foreclosure notices. We didn’t understand at the time, but we were about to lose our house. Then one day, a man from our church showed up with a bunch of boxes. He handed my mother an envelope and left. She began crying when she opened the envelope. She asked us to come help her with the boxes. Inside there was all sorts of food, and other health supplies. By the time we put everything away our cupboards were full again. After a while, my father found another job, and we were able to get caught up on our bills. Things were back to normal again. Had it not been for the man from the church, we may not have been able to get back on our feet. There are so many people out there that need help. This is just one of the many examples of how religious organizations have given aid.
As a whole, Religious Organizations have done a lot to help those in need. Whenever there is a natural disaster or problem that affects an entire community, it seems that the first people to step up and volunteer are religious or faith based organizations. Volunteers are always needed to help put things back together, help families in need of food, shelter and medical supplies. Religious groups also serve their communities in many other ways. That is why the government has allocated money to faith based grants. They know that by doing so, it will go back into the community in a variety of positive ways.
In many cases, member donations are not enough to provide all of the assistance necessary. Faith Based Grant Funds have been used to help low income families get food and clothing, as well as pay bills, help feed and clothe the homeless, etc. Funds have also been used to help pay for the education of those who are studying in clergy related fields, as well as pay for community education programs.
If you are looking for funding for your religious organization, or for religious studies, go to http://www.grantgenerator.com to search for programs that you may qualify for. They make it a lot easier to locate and apply for grants. Thank you for dedicating your time to help those in need.