Obama Creates Advisory Council On Faith

The Brody File has learned that President Obama will announce the creation of a new President's Advisory Council on Faith during this Thursday's National Prayer Breakfast in Washington DC.

He will also lay out his plan and ideals for The White House's Faith Based Office. The new director of the office, Joshua DuBois will be announced as well. The prayer breakfast will be an opportunity for President Obama to explain the role of the faith based office and his vision of how it intersects with government.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[OnReflection]

The right wing religious organizations who are the biggest and have political clout, and best organized, will be the ones that will benefit the most from this program, not the corner church, even less the Mosque in your neighbor hood, this is nothing short of defacto funding of religion, and funneling our taxes to these very institutions treasure chest for future culture wars. Obama is funding the very same divisive institutions that stoke issues that he claims to want to put in the past.

[M1]

A very foolish move...more political than smart for the Country. Separation of Church and state has already been dangerously eroded. Not a good thing to continue down the same old dumb policies and to double down on them.

[Lisa-G]

This is gross...

[TinaFreeman]

Helping disadvantaged people is gross? You must be a Rush fan....

[tbone99]

Helping themselves to taxpayer dollars is more like it.

[Lisa-G]

This really bites...this direction is not good for our country.

[TinaFreeman]

Really? Getting a diverse array of religious and community groups to work together to help deal with social issues such as poverty, homelessness, and unemployment is not a good idea? Did you miss the whole concept that Obama is a community organizer, and can use these networks of existing groups to organize America around some purposes they have in common?

Did you read the linked article? How does helping disadvantaged children and the homeless and the elderly "bite", per se? What "direction" is it taking us, that is, helping people, that is not good for the country. Nothing in this entire idea about introducing religion into government....

[TexasDem0]

Let the religious organizations do what they do without public money.
If it comes from the heart, they do it because they WANT to do it.

[AndThenOneDay]

Phew, I thought I was the only one who sees complete consistency in supporting the administration and this initiative.

And as a matter of pure politics the left's willingness to alienate the religious in their ranks is a suicidal impulse.

[OnReflection]

This is just political maneuvering, Obama is quite aware of the political strength of the religious institutions in this country, that is just a reality, it does not surprise me one bit. Although more of a slippery slope.

What truly surprises me is the Gluttoness stampede that religious institutions are making toward the government troth, what ever happened “To Caesar What Is Caesar's
To God What Is God's”.

[TinaFreeman]

Where is the "Gluttonous stampede" you speak of? Perhaps it is the starving people, who are greatly in need of a "trough"?

This is not about giving money to churches, and promoting religion in any federally funded program is prohibited.

[OnReflection]

Funny how religious people choose and pick from their holy scripts like the "Bible", and pretend that they are not taking tax payer monies, once again “To Caesar What Is Caesar's
To God What Is God's”.

But reason has never been a strong point for super naturalist. So I forgive you for not getting the point.

[edwcorey]

And God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food...." Genesis 1:29. I'd like a hash brownie washed down with coca tea, please. And something for my friend Opium Eater, too. Thanks.

[TexasDem0]

President Obama, please do get all the advice you need,
and please keep YOUR religion out of MY government.

[christianmama4change]

To those of you hyperventilating about Faith-based initiatives, shup up! Obama was a community organizer working with churches, maybe you skipped over that part of his bio. Secondly, faith based nonprofits are the ones feeding the poor, housing the homeless while getting fined by cities, building hospitals and providing subsidized care. Next time when you want to rant - you might want to talk to low income folks and ask them how churches and faith non-profits have helped them. Most of the comments on this story are ignorant - I am observing taith nonprofits helping folks in my neighborhood everyday - kudos to Obama for having the brain and guts to pursue this common sense approach.

[Chaucea]

Hmm... I truly hope this is the direction he will go in. More of a "Practicing what you preach.", and putting forth an expectation of responsibility and accountability from some of these organizations, instead of the current sanctimonious holier than thou, "I've got mine and I'm better than you" mentality that's been far too prevalent.

[TinaFreeman]

SOOO true...there is so much more to be gained by bringing these community and faith-based groups together, based on what they have in common rather than bickering about differences. If we focus on what we have in common, such as the desire to help people in poverty and need, we can do so much more as a society.

[Lisa-G]

I think it's more accurate to say that the suffering that religions cause can't be made up by feeding a few folks. Now, if they eradicate hunger, i'll give them a second look...

[TinaFreeman]

I take it you are not one of the record numbers of unemployed, or one of the 31 million americans on food stamps?

[TexasDem0]

Go to the WORLD tab and read the post,
“Iranian Arrested For Protesting 'Gender Apartheid' Begins Prison Term.”

That's what you get when religion and government are one and the same.

[TinaFreeman]

This has nothing to do with government and religion. It is about community organizing and dealing with social problems. It is prohibited to spend federal funding to promote religion.

[Retrofuturistic]

This is wrong. And it's a violation of the separation of church and state.

I am disappointed in Obama. He should know better. It is because of very far-right Christian fundamentalism that we had George W. Bush as president, and we all know how THAT turned out.

You can make your donations to Americans United for the Separation of Church and State here:
http://www.au.org/site/PageServer?pagename=supportau

If we would tax churches, they wouldn't be this powerful. They wouldn't breed fascism.

[PoliticalAmazon]

Exactly. The corporations and churches are bleeding us dry with their tax breaks.

I am so disappointed in Obama over this. He started with W a r r e n at the inauguration and he hasn't slowed down with kowtowing to the religious right since.

It is absolutely outrageous that he is wasting time and effort AND government money on this. We need him to focus on the economy and getting us out of Iraq and Afghanistan, not on playing patty-cake with the religous right.

[TinaFreeman]

Most churches are effectively community organizati­ons...woul­d you therefore charge taxes to all charitable and non-profit organizations? Or only those organized and run by people of faith?

[loucreattie]

While I agree with you there are more important things going on right now, if you have read any of Obama's books you would know this was something he was going to do.

Whether people agree or not why are so many people surprised?

[minimalist syntax]

I am pretty much amazed that you can put corporations and churches in the same sentence like that. And there is a Christian left and they have been historically very active both in helping the poor-- such as organizing migrant farm workers and the boycott of grapes and lettuce in California; helping homeless families (Catholic Worker movement); anti-war movement participation and disarmament movements. In surveying the world around you, do you just see what you believe is the reality?

[TinaFreeman]

Some of the comments seem a bit strange to me...when did it become impossible to be liberal or progressive AND a person of faith?

Speaking strictly as a Christian, Jesus taught love, compassion, charity, and service to our fellow man. All very liberal concepts.

And many faith-based groups are very effective at serving the needs of the poor and disadvantaged in their communities. There are some extraordinary programs out there. Why not have common discussions, and yes, even provide funding to those that are effective? Many are far more effective than any grand government agency....

"Faith" and "Democrat" should not be and are not mutually exclusive, folks.

[AddyGmom]

Jesus 'taught'? Past tense.

[TinaFreeman]

Yes, and there are many millions of us that still to this day follow his teachings, as Democrats and liberals.

[diogenes1967]

I have no problem with Jesus. It's most of those that claim to follow his teachings (really, they seem to follow Paul more than Jesus) that I have issues

[PoliticalAmazon]

W.T.F.

Obama cloyingly groveling to be BFFs with the REpublians and the religious right has worked SO well so far.

[NWBrunette]

Its almost as if Dems elected to office have this disease known as giving-away-power.

[Pacific231]

He had to try to extend a hand to the repubs. They wouldn't unclench their fist. Despite clear efforts by Obama, the repub house reps held their breath like little 4 y.o. spoiled brats and they are recognized as such by the American people.

So many people think *trying* to work with opponenets as inherently weak. Baloney! If yoru opponents refuse to work with you, they are the ones whose power diminishes as obstructionists. That's what is happening here. Obama is playing 3-D chess while the repubs are trying to learn how to play checkers.

[NWBrunette]

Trying to work with them is great. Extending a hand is great. Giving them what they want with nothing in return is not. Pay attention to what's been going on the last couple weeks.

[carlgt1]

how about a "Council on Reality" ?

[marismar22]

Very disappointing.

[ejay579]

If he is only half as successful as stringing along the fundies as the Repugnants have been, the more power to him.

[NWBrunette]

Oh please. Fundies are edge-of-th­e-flat-Ear­th wackos. We don't have time to waste a "string" on them.

We have a progressive agenda to pursue, promote and implement. Let's get that done and stop worrying about our frivolous silly fruitcake distractions..

[minimalist syntax]

Most Christians are not fundamentalist.

[PoliticalAmazon]

I don't think you've been paying attention to the GOP and the religious right.

The religious right now yanks the GOP around by the short hairs. They dictate GOP policy, including telling McCain he could not have any of his first three choices for VP because they weren't religious enough or in the right way, and if McCain chose any of the three, the religious right leaders in the GOP would split the GOP by forcing a fight on the GOP convention floor.

The GOP has to jump when he RR snap its fingers because the GOP now depends heavily on those votes. They have lost the majority of their moderates because of the GOP's increasingly let the RR set the agenda for the GOP.

And that is what we have to look forward to if Obama continues with this madness.

[Mnemanth]

I think we need an advisory council on advisory councils.
And an oversight council to look after the advisory council.
Of course we'll also need a Czar of Advisory Councils.

Where does the beaurocracy stop???

[SD Indy]

A-effing-MEN!!!!