Mark Souder: “it needs to be absolutely clear that this amendment would in fact roll back civil rights protections in the United…”

“it needs to be absolutely clear that this amendment would in fact roll back civil rights protections in the United States. Religious organizations have long had protections that this amendment would roll back. The hiring protections in title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, were included in the 1998 Community Services Block Grant authorization. And the President at that time, Bill Clinton, supported this clause directly for social services block grant because he realized that to do so and change anything else regarding this would mean that we would be rolling back civil rights protections for faith-based organizations and churches across the country. We have long had these types of debates. And one of the things that very much concerns me that those on the other side are doing, as well as some on our side are doing, are muddying up what are very clear waters. Let us make some things absolutely clear. You cannot proselytize, you cannot use public funds under current law, or under the bill that this House is considering to proselytize. It might be part of the goal of your mission that in providing, say, soup to the hungry or shelter to the homeless or helping someone who is dying of AIDS, the reason you are doing it may be Christian and you may be a Christian mission and talking about and viewing this as a holistic part of your mission, but when you are giving the soup, you cannot require a prayer.”