Bush Promises More for Faith-Based Initiatives
More than 250 religious leaders gathered at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, Tuesday, for a White House-sponsored conference on faith-based and community initiatives. The keynote speaker – President George W. Bush – praised the faith-based workers for their indispensable services and promised he’d work to remove the roadblocks to more faith-based initiatives.
"Government has got to find ways to empower those whose mission is based upon love, in order to help those who need love find love in society," said Bush. "Unfortunately, there are some roadblocks - such as the culture inside government at the federal, state and local level that is unfriendly to faith-based organizations.”
Bush, whose faith-based initiatives gained popularity during his time as the governor of Texas, said religious groups should not be discriminated against in federal funding for the sole reason of their faith.
“We ought to judge faith-based groups by results, not by their religion,” said Bush, who added that faith-based groups can be more effective at helping the needy.
In the last fiscal year, funds to faith-based initiatives grew by 14 percent from $1.17 billion to $1.33 billion. Additionally, the Department of Agriculture and the Agency for International Development granted an additional $669 million in 2004, raising the total to $2 billion – 10.3 percent of all government-issued social service grants.
Bush explained that he hopes for more in the coming years.
"It is said that faith can move mountains," Bush told more than 250 religious leaders providing social services in communities around the nation. "Here in Washington, D.C., those helping the poor and needy often run up against a big mountain called bureaucracy."
