Last I checked, our country espoused the belief in the separation of church and state. Apparently, President Bush hasn't gotten the memo and has decided to bypass Congress and create an executive order that would allow religious groups receive federal funding for social programs. Maybe he just forgot that this principle was established 125 years ago and has been a cornerstone of American identity since then. The Bush administration intends to permit using public monies to fund the construction and upkeep of certain parts of religious buildings, as long as the section being funded is used strictly for secular activities. At first glance, this proposal may seem harmless; however, lines are easily blurred, loopholes are easily found. The danger is that a religious organization could vie for public money to build or refurbish an area that "will be used for social work" when, in actuality, the area is used for religious activities. Another potential scenario which is not quite as insidious, is that the area that was constructed for social work will eventually be used for religious activities. How uncommon is it that the original use for a room is changed over time? Imagine, the police barging in on a religious service, charging those present with conducting religious services in a public domain, the unknowing congregation confused since they were simply praying within the walls of a religious institution.

Another danger is that certain religious sects could be afforded preferential treatment if funding is granted for the social work of one sect and not another. Even if this was not the intention, it could be misconstrued to be. For the politicians ' own sake, they should avoid such a policy, as it opens a Pandora 's box of problems. I am sure that Bush would have no problem approving the funding of the social work of an underworld cult, as it is a religion and he would not want to be accused of allowing certain religions to enjoy preferential treatment.

Furthermore, certain religions could be seen as more worthy and more closely interconnected with government if they do more social work and thereby receive more funding. The government could wield power over the functions of religious institutions, threatening to rescind funding if they do not fulfill certain requirements. It is a dangerous tightrope they are walking. The government and religion are best left with a chasm between them.

Although a religious institution may say that their social programs are completely secular, they usually are infused with or somehow intertwined with the religion which is responsible for the social program. The social program may even be entangled with missionary work. If the government funded social programs which were entangled with missionary work, they would, in effect, be promoting the proliferation of a certain religion. If this does not weave religion and state together, I don 't know what does. Certainly, Bush could not have meant for all of these consequences to come to fruition as a result of one little backwards reform. He simply must not have thought about it too much.

If Bush really wants to make social reforms that would benefit the public, he should create a more constructive welfare program and reduce the costs of medical care. Instead of filtering social work through other institutions, narrowing the scope of potential beneficiaries, as most beneficiaries of religious programs are practitioners of that religion, he could affect the public directly, on a larger scale.

Additionally, one must wonder why Bush felt as though he must use an executive order in order to pass this "de-reform." Why use his executive power in this way? This is not an area that needs immediate attention and warrants the bypassing of bureaucratic red tape. It is there for a reason. He probably believed that Congress would not pass such legislation. Why not flex his executive muscle for an issue that is really dire? If he wants such legislation to be passed, he should have left it to Congress. I wonder what would have happened then.