Moonies knee-deep in faith-based funding / Pushing celibacy, marriage counseling under Bush plan (SFGate)
President Bush has some new troops in his crusade to promote “healthy marriage” and teen celibacy with federal funds — followers of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the controversial Korean evangelist and self-proclaimed new world messiah.
At least four longtime operatives of Moon’s Unification Church are on the federal payroll or getting government grants in the administration’s Healthy Marriage Initiative and other “faith-based” programs.
The Bush administration has enlisted with the “Moonies” to bring us a better understanding of marriage through faith-based initiatives. I hope you enjoy the agenda their pushing, we paid for it.
“Moon has been a big backer of the faith-based initiative,” said the Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. “But it’s beyond belief that you can have the University of Bridgeport issuing marriage education certificates and claim that is secular.”
Lynn said the Oakland program also shows how “there is virtually no monitoring of where this money is going.”
“Money goes out and nobody knows how it’s used and nobody knows what it’s for,” he said.
[…]
Through such publications as the Washington Times, a church-financed, conservative daily newspaper in the nation’s capital, and through alliances with priests and pastors across the theological spectrum, Moon and company have spent a fortune courting the opinion-makers of church and state.
Bush. Making this possible by bringing Church and State eversomuch closer. Sir, I wish you a long and happy retirement.
Posted by James at October 3, 2004 10:36 AM