When disaster strikes, houses of worship are often on the front lines, feeding and sheltering victims. Yet churches, synagogues and mosques are routinely denied aid by the Federal Emergency Management Agency when it comes time to repair or rebuild their damaged sanctuaries.
Pressure is mounting to change that after this year's series of devastating hurricanes damaged scores of churches in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico.
FEMA is rethinking its policies in the face of a federal lawsuit, scheduled for a hearing Tuesday, by three Texas churches hit by Hurricane Harvey. President Donald Trump has signaled his support, via Twitter, for the religious institutions.
At the same time, several members of Congress have revived legislation — first proposed after 2012's Hurricane Sandy — that would force FEMA to pay for repairs at places of worship.
The debate centers on two key questions: Does providing such aid violate the First Amendment separation of church and state? Or is it an infringement on the First Amendment right to free exercise of religion to deny churches the same aid available to numerous other nonprofit organizations, such as libraries, zoos and homeless shelters?
"It seems like the only reason churches are excluded is because they're churches, and it just seems discriminatory to me," said Bruce Frazier, pastor of Rockport First Assembly of God Church, which is part of the lawsuit.
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4 comments:
I am all for helping out our fellow Americans but for churches to receive federal aid they should pay federal tax.
I don't think that FEMA dollars going to Churches is a problem, as long as there is no preference to a specific religion, or denial thereof.
It should be recognized that FEMA has limited funds and has to prioritize funding. Due to this, Churches will probably be far back on the priority list.
If it's need-based and equitable, go for it.
If the churches want federal aid, they should pay taxes. They want the tax exempt status, and benefits from the government, at the same time. It's one, or the other, folks. That's what the courts will say when it comes to the lawsuit. Exempt from tax = exempt from government assistance. Funding the churches with government money is unconstitutional.
Libraries, zoos, and homeless shelters are not religious organizations. They cannot be compared to churches.
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