Faith-Based Charities

The World's Cutest Biologist takes on AIDS funding going to religious organizations. I've always thought taxpayer funding of what would otherwise be private, religious charities was monumentally stupid, even before I ditched my evangelical beliefs in favor of my present agnosticism. One of the complaints I had then (and still have) is who gets to decide what is a religion? Do we only include Baptists? Other Protestant groups? Catholics? Islamic? Hindu? Flying Spaghetti Monster? One thing an evangelical simply can not do is refrain from trashing any other religious viewpoint:

But Smith believes the administration is wrongly supporting some nonprofit groups. He and several other congressional conservatives wrote to Bush and the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, contending that several large grant recipients were pro-prostitution, pro-abortion and not committed enough to abstinence priorities.

Let that last phrase sink in: "not committed enough to abstinence priorities." Maybe that's because they are committed to "priorities" that work, rather than priorities dictated by 3,000-year-old mysticism. I'll also add that the "pro-prostitution" dig is probably as accurate as the freaky religious right's accusations that certain retailers sell child porn. I first started hearing this crap in elementary school directed at 7-11 stores. In high school, I think it was K-Mart, college it was one of the national book store chains (Borders?). How stupid do these assholes think I am? I'm supposed to believe that USAID is funding the second-hand purchase of fish-net stockings and plastic mini-skirts for young girls? Or is it free ads in the local newspapers? Or maybe, just maybe, they are funding condom give-away's to people who need them without getting judgmental about why they need them. I can see how that would be a problem with evangelicals, as they seem incapable of having a conversation without condemning someone to hell.

Sweet Jesus. I'm starting to look forward to the Clinton II (as in Hillary) presidency. Oh please, Blessed FSM, preserve us until 2008.