Yesterday The Senate Judiciary committee approved a bill that would effectively tear down the separation of church and state in Florida. On a party line vote of 5 to 2, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved SRJ 1218 - the Religious Freedom bill and sent it on to the Committee on Children, Families and Elder Affairs. Members of Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU) in Florida have mobilized against the passage of this bill and it’s companion H 1471 where it is scheduled for a hearing in the House Judiciary Committee tomorrow.
SJR 1218, which was sponsored by Sen. Thad Altman (R-Melbourne) and endorsed by the entire Republican caucus, would delete a constitutional provision that bars Florida from spending public revenues on sectarian religious organizations. Supporters of the bill claim that prohibiting government from funding religious groups discriminates against religious groups.
Taking the lead for Americans United in Florida are a Baptist minister (Rev. Harry Parrott), a Presbyterian minister (Rev Harold Brockus) and a Rabbi (Rabbi Merrill Shapiro). The three of them sent a letter to Florida legislators on Monday asking them not to tear down the wall separating church and state in Florida.In their letter they state, ““Ending this prohibition on government aid, which has been in place for 126 years, puts our State in the business of religion. And as a consequence, our tax dollars could go to support a religious organization or school with tenets and teachings that contradict our own, and our religious liberty would be violated.”
Obviously, Republicans in Florida have decided they know what’s best for religious groups in Florida and they aren’t going to let a little religious opposition to their plans get in the way of their desire to see that their favored religious groups receive state tax payer funding at the expense of everyone’s religious freedom.
There are many reasons why Republicans want to repeal the “no aid” provision of Florida’s constitution, known as the Blaine Amendment. Their reasons include their desire to include sectarian religious education in our public schools and their desire to fund specific favored religious organizations while defunding public organizations that benefit all Floridians.
The House Judiciary committee is scheduled to vote on this bill tomorrow, Thursday April 14th.
For more information and to contact your senators and house representatives, visit:
http://www.flsenate.gov/Senators/
http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Representatives/representatives.aspx
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