A Virtual Faith Based Initiative by Governor Granholm

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Granholm launches her own faith-based initiative
Of The Associated Press

LANSING - Gov. Jennifer Granholm wants state government to work with religious groups to help the needy, despite concerns the move could violate the First Amendment restraint on government-established religion.

The governor on Monday created a state office of community and faith-based initiatives to enlist religious organizations to recruit mentors for foster children, provide lower-cost prescription drugs and fight substance abuse, Granholm said.

"Our lives on Earth are not about those with the most cars, but those with the most compassion," the Catholic Democrat told a state-sponsored symposium on faith-based programs.

Much like President Bush's push for faith-based initiatives, however, Granholm's plan worries the American Civil Liberties Union, which says it could promote religion and violate the federal and state constitutions.

Kary Moss, executive director of the ACLU of Michigan, said it wouldn't be acceptable for a food bank to require people to pray before receiving their food if the food bank received government funding.

She also called the faith-based office a "potential minefield" because the state will have difficulty knowing whether some faith-based groups have discriminatory hiring practices.

"Some may not want to hire people of different faiths, different genders," she said.

Granholm said criticism of her program is unwarranted.

"This is not about a particular faith. This is about serving the citizens in the most effective way," she said after her speech.

"I can't imagine people criticizing an effort to try to recruit mentors for children who may have no parents. ... I can't imagine any organization criticizing an effort to reduce the cost of health care for senior citizens. And if they are criticizing that, I say bring it on."

Granholm said the office won't endorse a particular religion or approve of any discrimination. The main goal is to strengthen families and protect children, she said.

Granholm used Christian, Islamic and Judaic teachings to remind more than 700 clergy and community leaders at the symposium that government has a duty to care for society's most vulnerable.

The office will serve as the single point of contact for community and faith-based groups wanting to use state programs or dollars to provide social services. Granholm said it will formalize the outreach efforts that her administration has aimed for two years toward churches, synagogues, mosques and religious groups.

Bishop Nathaniel Wells Jr., pastor of Holy Trinity Institutional Church of God in Christ in Muskegon, said government dollars have long been given to groups like Catholic Social Services and The Salvation Army. He said Granholm's office could help notify organizations of available federal funding.

President Bush has pushed a faith-based initiative nationally, trying to give religious organizations equal footing with nonsectarian groups in competing for federal contracts. So far, the effort has stalled in Congress.