ACLU Challenges Misuse of Taxpayer Dollars to Fund Religion (Silver Ring)

[Bozita]

This is from an ACLU press release:

URL: http://www.aclu.org/ReproductiveRights/ReproductiveRights.cfm?ID=18240&c=30

ACLU Challenges Misuse of Taxpayer Dollars to Fund Religion in Nationwide Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Program
May 16, 2005

BOSTON -- The American Civil Liberties Union and Jenner & Block LLP today filed a lawsuit challenging the federal government’s misuse of taxpayer dollars to fund religious activities in the “Silver Ring Thing,” a nationwide ministry program that uses abstinence-only sex education as a means to bring “unchurched” students to Jesus Christ.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: [e-mail]

BOSTON -- The American Civil Liberties Union and Jenner & Block LLP today filed a lawsuit challenging the federal government's misuse of taxpayer dollars to fund religious activities in the "Silver Ring Thing," a nationwide ministry program that uses abstinence-only sex education as a means to bring "unchurched" students to Jesus Christ.

"Using public funds, the 'Silver Ring Thing' urges students to commit themselves to Christ," said Julie Sternberg, Senior Staff Attorney at the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project. "The courts have repeatedly said that taxpayer dollars cannot be used to promote religion. The 'Silver Ring Thing' blatantly violates this principle."

Over the past three years, the federal government has awarded more than one million dollars to the "Silver Ring Thing." According to legal papers filed by the ACLU today, the "Silver Ring Thing" describes its mission as "offering a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as the best way to live a sexually pure life." During the "Silver Ring Thing's" flagship three-hour program members testify about how accepting Jesus Christ improved their lives, quote Bible passages, and urge audience members to ask the Lord Jesus Christ to come into their lives. In addition, the official silver ring of the program is inscribed with a reference to the biblical verse "1 Thess. 4:3-4," which reads "God wants you to be holy, so you should keep clear of all sexual sin. Then each of you will control your body and live in holiness and honor."

The "Silver Ring Thing" has held events in Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, and Wisconsin and is scheduled to visit Georgia, Ohio, and North Carolina, among other states, in the coming year. Since April 2003, it has held three events in the Boston area and is scheduled to hold a fourth in October of this year.

more...

[EC]

1. Isn't this the same as

becoming a Nun? Does the government fund them?

Does the government fund AA? (since it uses God as the guiding force to recovery)

This is just wrong.

[cruadin]

2. This sure sounds like tax payer financed proselytizing.

[triguy46]

3. Hey, whats the big deal?

Our government has a long standing tradition of funding programs that do not work, and unfunding ones that do. Abstinence only is a failure in practice, but it makes the fundies feel like they are doing something.
This seems consistent with the short sightedness of the * and ignnorance of fact of the fundies, who, honestly, have never let truth or science get in their way.

[ohtransplant]

4. It's not the abstinence.

Here's the crux.

the "Silver Ring Thing" describes its mission as "offering a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as the best way to live a sexually pure life."

Logic says this one is a slam dunk but who knows in today's environment? This is why they want the courts next!

[david_vincent]

5. I'm in favor of this sort of thing

The more misuse is made of tax revenue, the closer we get to inciting a general tax resistance. For instance, I owed a little bit this year, and I came *this close* to not paying it, because I know that what I sent was going straight into Halliburton's pockets. More nonsense like this Silver Ring Thing is what we need to make people stop acting like sheep, and start acting like Ingersoll-Rand and other corporations that thumb their nose at the whole mess.

[SoCalDem]

6. It's about TIME they challenged something..

FaithBased ANYTHING, that is paid for with government grants is WRONG..

Even if the churches "say" it's not being used to preach, it is being used to FREE UP church money that IS being used to preach..

[underpants]

7. Finally!!! This whole Silver Ring thing is ridiculous

any foreign student here on an education visa is REQUIRED to attend at least one meeting/event.

[Miss Chybil]

9. You're kidding, right? nt

[underpants]

10. Nope- a friend of a former co-worker told us about it

Well actually he told former co-worker and they told everyone in the office. Everyone was shocked.

They have to attend at least on Silver Ring Thing event or they COULD lose their visa. I looked for an article or anything about it on the web and called the contact number for Silver Ring Thing-they said they would call back, nothing so far.

Here is the site. Notice anything odd about the banner at the top (before the pictures start appearing-which is new) look at the kids on the left and then the others.
http://www.silverringthing.com/index.html

[Miss Chybil]

17. I perused their website. It actually seems like a good thing to do, BUT

it shouldn't be forced on anybody, nor should it be paid for by tax-payer money. It's obviously proseletyzing Jesus. Why can't somebody do something like this with a secular bent? Why do so many people think the only way to be "moral" is to be Christian? Not to say having sex is immoral, but it can lead to a lot of problems with kids, especially, and adults, too. There are a lot more reasons not to have sex too soon than you might go to hell for it, you know? (I know, from experience.) And where to they get off forcing anybody, from anywhere, to attend this program? I don't get it.

[winston61]

8. did you listen to Moyer's speech?

He stated that faith based initiatives is nothing more than a slush fund for Karl Rove to hand out goodies to keep the kool aid drinkers in their corner.

[54anickel]

14. Here's a link to the transcript - in case anyone's interested

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/05/16/1329245

[Maat]

16. Woohoo! Go, Bill Moyer!

So right. So true.

[Kerrytravelers]

11. Why are all the kids in the pictures wearing wedding bands?

Aren't you suppose to have sex when you're married? They look stupid.

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I have no problem telling kids to wait until they're out of high school to have sex. I waited. It was a good choice to make (no baby concerns, diseases, etc.) But to act so silly with rings and t-shirts and stickers--- this just is not my thing.

[intheflow]

12. So let me get this straight.

No need for welfare programs to help the poor because church groups will take care of them. But tax dollars can be used to promote Jesus-centric abstinence only programs?

:wtf:

[Shallah Kali]

18. exactly. it is GOP logic and it makes my head ache

.

[Ernesto]

13. This 'ol geezer says:

KICK!

[Maat]

15. Go, ACLU!

It's about time these particular programs were challenged!

[Shallah Kali]

19. I wish a nonChristian religion would apply for one of the faithbased grant

so I could see the pseudoChristian radical cleric's heads explode. Can you imagine how well it would go over if it was a Muslim group behind Silver Ring Thing? the fundies would pull the plug on faith based projects rather than share the $$$$$.

[ngGale]

20. That's a real good idea you have there and...

and so true. Fundies only allow other fundies, it's about time they had a challenge.:woohoo:

[Sub Atomic]

21. US chastity ring funding attacked

The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit against the US government over its funding of a nationwide sexual abstinence programme.

The ACLU says the Silver Ring Thing programme violates the principle that the state budget cannot be used to promote religion.

The programme, which targets teenagers, is an offshoot of a Christian ministry. Since 2003, it has received more than $1m from the Department of Health and Human Services.

.snip.

Although many government grant recipients have religious affiliations, they are not supposed to use the federal money for religious proselytising.

.snip.

"The courts have repeatedly said taxpayer dollars cannot be used to promote religion," said Julie Sternberg, an attorney with the ACLU's Reproductive Freedom Project.

"The Silver Ring Thing blatantly violates this principle."

.more.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4553721.stm

[Teaser]

22. Chastity Ring?

Ouch.

[renaissanceguy]

23. I guess that means

no fingering.

Sorry, couldn't resist!

http://www.cafepress.com/liberalissues.21272027

[TahitiNut]

25. It must be a painful body piercing -- to be expected, I guess.

:shrug: I have little doubt it'd actually become reality in Bushoilini Amerika.

[madhat]

27. I immediately thought "crime ring"

Or "smuggling ring."

[rkc3]

24. SRT is like AA for virgins.

Except they have 8 stages rather than 12 steps.

[tk2kewl]

26. it's about freaking time

[rodeodance]

28. 30,000 young people have committed themselves to premarital purity"

.......Denny Pattyn, the Silver Ring Thing's founder and president, issued a statement describing the programme as "faith-based", but said that the federal funds had been properly used at all times, the AP news agency reported.

The suit names only the Department of Health and Human Services officials, not the Silver Ring Thing, as defendants, and seeks to halt federal funding to the programme.

The Silver Ring Thing says more than 30,000 young people have committed themselves to premarital purity after attending the programme's three-hour presentations.

[EFerrari]

29. I hope someone tracks these poor kids for STDs, AIDs,

unwanted pregnancies, abortions, early marriages and divorces :(

[endarkenment]

30. there was a study

abstinence is one of the worst form of both safe sex and birth control.

[EFerrari]

31. Precisely. n/t