ProudProgressive

The Colorado Springs Gazette published another letter from me today, titled, “Charities must follow law if they take tax money.” You can read the letter and the article to which I responded on the Gazette’s web site. Also, here is the full text of the letter:

The debate over Colorado HB 1080, which would prohibit religious organizations using government funds from engaging in discriminatory hiring practices, superbly illustrates the importance of the separation of church and state (“Bill irks religious leaders,” The Gazette, Jan. 28).

This principle serves the dual purpose of keeping religion out of government and keeping government out of religion. By violating this separation to accept government funds, religious organizations are explicitly allowing government into their domain and opening themselves up to government interference. Along with the money, the religious organizations must accept the nondiscrimination laws. It’s simply not fair for them to take taxpayer money, then turn around and refuse to hire some of those very taxpayers. If the religious organizations don’t want that interference, they shouldn’t accept the government money.

They can’t have it both ways: Either they take government funding and abide by the employment laws the rest of us must follow, or they remain separate from government and hire whomever they want.

Tags: First Amendment, HB 1080, Separation of Church and State