Editorial: Church-State Debates to Continue

January 5, 2003

Source: Freedom Forum

http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=17415

On January 5, 2003 the Freedom Forum printed an editorial by Charles Haynes that summarized "the most significant, most underrated and most overblown religious-liberty stories of 2002 — plus an “under the radar” story that bears watching. " He states, "on the education front, the Court’s decision pushes the voucher debate into the political arena... Apparently weary of waiting for Congress to act, the president ordered various Cabinet agencies to clear the way for religious groups to receive federal funds for their social-service programs... Few Americans noticed (and the media shrugged) when Congress passed the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA) — prohibiting the government from restricting religious freedom without showing a compelling state interest (in cases covered by the act)."