Can Religion Heal America’s Disadvantaged?, Spring 2004

Saturday, June 5, 2004

The United States is currently debating the full-scale implementation of a piece of legislation contained in the Welfare Reform bill of 1996 that permits the direct government subsidy of religious organizations engaged in public social service delivery. Known as Charitable Choice, this law requires state governments to consider the applications of faith-based organizations on equal footing with secular social service organizations. The rational behind the law is to tap into the unique power of faith to heal the soul and inspire legions of compassionate social workers to take to the field and cure America’s social ills. Always a contentious issue, the interaction of church and state is coming to the fore in America. “Is this the innovation the country needs to address its poor and disadvantaged,” “is it even legal,” and “will it even work” are some of the questions this papers addresses.

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Can Religion Heal America’s Disadvantaged?, Spring 2004

Daniel Freifeld