By: DAVID RICE
Re: Contract On America

Freethought Today April 1996
Establishing "One Nation Under God?"

Contract On The Family Sets Agenda Of Congress
By Annie Laurie Gaylor

Ever since Pat Robertson's Christian Coalition unveiled its
so-called "Contract with the American Family" last May, this
rightwing Christian lobbying group has been setting the
Congressional agenda.

When presenting its legislative ultimatum to Newt Gingrich and
others, Christian Coalition director Ralph Reed was widely
quoted as joking that these were the "ten suggestions," not the
"Ten Commandments." But Reed did not disguise the fact that he
expected quid pro quo--Gingrich's support in exchange for the
Christian Coalition's support of Gingrich's Contract with
America.

What are these "ten suggestions"?

I "Restoring Religious Equality"

Late last year two versions of the Religious Equality Amendment
were introduced. The Istook amendment, garnering more than 100
supporters in the House, would allow worship and prayer not just
in public schools but as part of any governmental operation,
such as nativity pageants at the Capitol. The Hyde amendment
places less emphasis on school prayer but would clearly
authorize public funding for church schools, charities or
activities, a form of massive parochiaid. School prayer
amendments are nothing new, but these pose a broader, more
devastating attack which would, if successful, end the
separation of church and state.

II "Returning Education Control to the Local Level"

As the Christian Coalition got its start with self-avowed
"stealth campaigns" to take over school boards, this emphasis
comes as no surprise. Every leading GOP candidate for the
president has endorsed the Christian Coalition's call to abolish
the Department of Education.

III "Promoting School Choice"

Ironically, while it opposes federal standards or directives for
public schools, and supports the abolition of welfare, the
Christian Coalition endorses public assistance to low-income
parents to send children to religious (or other private)
schools. "Welfare" or "affirmative action" is apparently
acceptable only if it means federal money is furthering
religion. Vouchers, "charter schools," the "privatization of
public schools" are all approved. Numerous voucher schemes have
been introduced at national and state levels.

IV "Protecting Parental Rights"

The Christian Coalition calls for enactment of a "Parental
Rights Act" to clarify the "right of parents to direct the
upbringing of their children," including education, health care,
discipline and religious training. Obvious intent: to attack
secular curricula, buttress prayerful parents who deny ill
children medical care or who engage in biblically-backed
physical violence. While a federal law is urged, a number of
state legislators are trying to add "parental rights" amendments
to state constitutions.

Reviled in this section of the contract is the U.N. Convention
on the Rights of the Child, which has been ratified by 180
nations but awaits U.S. ratification. In part thanks to the
Christian Coalition and Phyllis Schlafly, ratification is going
nowhere in the U.S. Senate.

V "Family-Friendly Tax Relief"

The Christian Coalition is the main lobbyist for the proposed
pronatalist $500 tax credit for children.  "Christian Coalition
also supports in concept a flat or flattened tax with a generous
personal exemption for children as an ultimate goal. . . ."

VI "Restoring Respect for Human Life"

The Christian Coalition forced the recent Congressional debate
over so-called "partial-birth abortions," even defining the
terminology. This piece of legislation, which would endanger the
lives of about 450 pregnant women a year unlucky enough to
develop health or life-threatening complications late in their
pregnancy requiring abortion (such as carrying brainless
fetuses), is expected to be vetoed by the President. The bill
would subject doctors to up to two years in prison.  The
Christian Coalition, of course, wants a complete ban on
abortion. For now the group would settle for removing rape and
incest from the exceptions of the Hyde Amendment, which cuts off
Medicaid funding for most abortions.

"Defunding" Planned Parenthood is another as yet unsuccessful
battlecry.

VII "Encouraging Support of Private Charities"

This section presents the most serious threat to the
constitutional separation of church and state.  Various
hair-raising schemes fall under the Christian Coalition's
contract as: "Encouraging Support of Private Charities:
Enactment of legislation to enhance contributions to private
charities as a first step toward transforming the bureaucratic
welfare state into a system of private and faith-based
compassion."

What does this mean? The Religious Right wants religious groups
and churches not only to raid the public till, but to take over
secular social services. This would be easily accomplished if
"unmandated funds" for welfare in the form of block grants to
states is passed in the federal budget.

The camel's nose is already under the tent. There is precedent
in a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court permitting federal funds
to subsidize abstinence programs for public school students by
religious groups. Local governments often contract with churches
to provide shelters and other services for the homeless or
children. Religion gets the credit; the taxpayers get billed.

Section 104 of the recently vetoed welfare bill--authored by
Sen. John Ashcroft, R-MO, a Christian Coalition
cheerleader--authorized houses of worship to completely take
over some government-funded welfare services. Persons on welfare
would use government vouchers and certificates to pay for
religious "worship, instruction or proselytization" activities.

All this is advanced as a way to prevent states from
"discriminating" against an institution because of its
"religious character."

Taxpayers would be forced to fund religious charities, or
alternately would be allowed to "tithe" through their taxes to
religious groups.

". . . if given the choice between having their tax dollars
subsidize government welfare programs or subsidize private
charitable programs, many would prefer to designate the money to
a private charity of their choice. Christian Coalition urges the
United States Congress to enact legislation to give taxpayers
this opportunity."

In this manner, avers the coalition, "private charities would
compete on an equal footing with government welfare programs for
the portion of the federal budget that is allocated to poverty
programs, thereby increasing competition."

Paradoxically, the Religious Right is seeking to "deprivatize"
religion (establish state-funded churches). Public social
services would be destroyed; religious programs would be
publicly-funded!  Religion will get the credit; beneficiaries
will be proselytized; taxpayers will get you-know-what.

These schemes are not going away. Michigan Gov. John Engler, an
arch-conservative Catholic who basically abolished state welfare
services, approved a multimillion-dollar contract last fall with
the Salvation Army to care for the state's homeless population.
Mississippi Gov. Kirk Fordice has established a "Faith and
Families" project in which religious social service agencies are
funded. U.S.  Sens. John Ashcroft and Dan Coats have introduced
a dollar-to-dollar tax credit for donations to charities serving
the poor.

VIII "Restricting Pornography"

While it appears its claims of children's access to pornography
on the Internet are greatly exaggerated, coalition "suggestions"
are prevailing or being debated.

IX "Privatizing the Arts"

"The National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the
Humanities, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and Legal
Services Corporation should become voluntary organizations
funded through private contributions."

While this campaign is on the back burner, funding has been
dramatically cut. The bizarre inclusion of Legal Services
Corporation under "arts" funding was apparently meant to
camouflage the Christians' special interest in abolishing
federal legal assistance to the poor. Perhaps the Corporation is
seen as "competition" for dollars the coalition wants to go only
to churches. But its main criticism is that the Corporation
provides divorce services to the poor, which is contrary to the
religious views of Robertson and Reed. The Corporation was not
abolished but it lost significant funding last fall.

X "Crime Victim Restitution"

The Christian Coalition urges Congress to condition "receipt of
federal prison construction funding by the states on enactment
of work and study requirements." It sounds laudable but this
language camouflages programs such as Alabama's infamous new
"chain gang" and plans by Wis. Gov.  Tommy Thompson and other
Religious Right governors to sell prison labor to campaign
cronies or the highest bidder. What has this to do with
religion? Nothing, unless you consider the way religion, as
Robert Owen put it, has a way of hardening hearts. But the
authors of the Contract On The Family know God is on their side.

Ralph Reed claimed responsibility for the surprise Religious
Right takeover during the off-year 1994 elections. The Christian
Coalition organizes through fundamentalist churches--and is
hoping to do more with Catholic churches--using a perfect,
ready-made captive audience as the target for its voter
registration drives, and distribution of biased election-eve
legislative "scorecards."

Reflecting the infiltration by the Christian Coalition of the
Republican Party, many governors and members of Congress endorse
by word or action major portions of the Christian Coalition's
Contract on the Family. The Kansas Republican Party, for
example, recently adopted a party platform that could have been
written by Pat Robertson or Pat Buchanan, according to press
observers, including: constitutional amendments to ban abortion
and force prayer in schools, support for school vouchers and
creationism, and elimination of the U.S. Department of
Education.

A c(4) lobbying group should not be allowed to organize through
c(3) tax-exempt groups like churches. Politically active
churches should not be allowed to retain tax-exempt status.
Should elections and legislation be dominated by out-of-control
fundamentalist and Catholic churches?  Should churches be
allowed to use their tax-exempt fortunes to topple our secular
Constitution and establish "One Nation Under God"?

For now, the Christian Coalition has succeeded only in swamping
Congress with legislation, failing thus far in accomplishing
most of its ends. But its means are grave cause for concern.


The writer is editor of Freethought Today.

This page is maintained by Dan Barker of the Freedom From
Religion Foundation, Inc., and hosted by the Internet Infidels.


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