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Specter of 'bigotry' in nonprofits bill debate

By Jean Torkelson, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published January 25, 2008 at 12:30 a.m.

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A bill that addresses employment discrimination has set loose the B word - bigotry - in a clash this week between Archbishop Charles Chaput and Bruce DeBoskey, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League.

In his newspaper column published Wednesday, Chaput urges Catholic voters to protest HB 1080 as an attack on religious freedom - one that could even lead to the shutting down of Catholic Charities, "the largest, non-government human services provider in the Rocky Mountain West."

The bill would remove an exemption allowing nonprofits that accept public money to continue to set hiring restrictions based on religious teachings.

"I've heard from quite a few Catholics over the past week, Catholics who find HB 1080 offensive, implicitly bigoted and designed to bully religious groups out of the public square," Chaput wrote in the Denver Catholic Register.

DeBoskey said that the ADL helped draft the bill. He fired off a letter to the Register Thursday, protesting the "implied criticism that ADL supports this bill because of some anti-Catholic or anti-religious bigotry."

DeBoskey said the the bill "prevents religious bigotry in government funded programs. If you take government money, you're acting as an agent of government and shouldn't be allowed to discriminate."

Last year, the legislature made it illegal to discriminate in hiring based on sexual orientation or religion, but an amendment exempted religious organizations and nonprofits. HB 1080 would scrap the amendment.

DeBoskey argues that nonprofits that accept public money have always had to abide by whatever discrimination laws were on the books. Therefore, he said, HB 1080 merely returns the law to what it was before the 2007 amendment was added.

But Jenny Kraska, chief lawyer and lobbyist for the Colorado Catholic Conference, disputed DeBoskey's interpretation. "It's true that prior to last year we had to abide by the discrimination policies of the state, but (before then) religion was never included on the list," Kraska said.

Kraska said the conference is helping to develop a coalition of religious nonprofits, including non-Catholic groups, to fight HB 1080. Already on board is Colorado Family Action, which is associated with Focus on the Family in Colorado Springs.

Comments

  • January 25, 2008

    11:06 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    PostPaganBaby writes:

    Is the principle here that cooperation between church (or other non-profits) and state mean that the church must lose its identity? Is there any more tyrannical expression of "discrimination" than saying to non-governmental bodies that they must bow to the latest altar of political correctness? And as the political winds change, will these same organizations be told dance to a new tune in order to receive help in helping those the state can't or won't reach?

    Who exactly is harmed by a Catholic organization giving preferential hiring consideration to Catholics? Or a Jewish, Muslim, or Pagan group? In the words of Austin Powers, "It's freedom, baby - yea!"

    Is the next logical step to ensure that government employees (they are certainly funded by the State) don't hold to any "discriminatory" ideas? The spirit of H.B. 1080 is reminiscent of Kurt Vonnegut's HARRISON BERGERON in which total equality (non discrimination) is achieved at the price of making a mockery of our humanity and common sense.

    Isn't it reasonable for a religious entity to have the freedom to hire people who demonstrably share that same faith? Rather than narrowing the scope of non-governmental groups that aid the poor and downtrodden, perhaps energy should be focused on expanding the number of these groups. H.B. 1080 seems to stem from secular paranoia and a desire for "equality" that is contemptuous of both liberty and pluralism. All of this intolerance in the name of tolerance. Yeech!

  • January 25, 2008

    6:13 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    pet writes:

    Non-profits and religious organizations COOPERATE with the social tasks of the government. They typically provide services to those in need at a fraction of the cost the government usually spends, and they enroll volunteers and workers whoe have a deep desire to serve and do not do it for the salary.
    So, the government and society get a good deal from Non-profits and religious organizations. Why should they get harassed into providing services contrary to their faith or hiring people that do not tune into their way of serving? They never discriminate with the people they SERVE which is the actual purpose of the funds the government provides.

  • January 27, 2008

    9:12 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    STOPUSAGiveaway writes:

    GET THE TREASONOUS CATHOLIC CHURCH out of the USA.
    The CC imports POVERTY:aiding/abetting ILLEGAL ALIEN CRIMINAL INVADERS--their Catholic Priests in Mexico bless buses/coyotes prior to departure to INVADE the USA!
    Safe houses upon arrival: DAY LABOR CENTERS:immigration attorney continued recipients of A M N E S T Y
    pregnant whores directed to USA ER's deliver just in time recipients of auto-welfare-citizenship womb to tomb via sperm donor exponentials on backs of working people of generations who without medical insurance/care!
    The CATHOLIC CHURCH violates its NON PROFIT STATUS.
    SEDITONIST with no shame
    MEANWHILE, ARCHBISHOPS coverup molesting priests move from one parish to another
    Having worked in Central America: I saw the females be nothing more than breeding machines until they died--a very young age having babies every nine months; beging the CATHOLIC CHURCH --please help me I cannot have any more children....
    RESULTS OVERPOPULATED NATIONS. Now we are recipients of the OVERPOPULATED NUMBERS to our own demise.....
    The CATHOLIC CHURCH expects us to front their NUMBERS to destroy what choices we have made as a nation to sacrifice what we earned as our PAID BIRTH RIGHT....in contrast the Catholic Church devise our own demise...not ONLY ignoring in open defiance our laws; but expecting us/USA taxpayer to pay for their SEDITION.
    They annihilate the INDIGENOUS of nations by breaking up their families.importing them into a culture where they cannot survive mere pyramid scheme the CATHOLIC CHURCH .utilizing their ignorance-
    SPECIAL VISAS too claim we need SPANISH SPEAKING for our services: thus support ILLITERACY which is double the costs in the USA. Why not English? Undermining USA Sovereignty all the way.
    The new Pope has stated "we will have New World Order" over my dead body! Remember the ALAMO our family fought there and are ready, willing and able to die for ONE NATIION UNDERGOD and won't be in HEL_ with these EVIL contradictory et alls!
    NOW THE CATHOLIC CHURCH dares dictates employment laws--they have no religion....just EVIL incarnated in robs upon streets and buildings paved in gold...under their feet in the VATICAN...contradicts everything..acting agaist their own neighbors, parishoners.
    Do Unto Others...
    10 COMMANDMENTS starting with Thou shalt no steal....
    And WHY should Americans N U R T U R E their sons for Selective Service US TROOPS as sons, daughters, fathers, and mothers and grandfathers and grandmothers to be systematically sacrificed on FOREIGN SOIL so non profits like the non religious fraudulent Catholic Church can opnely and blatantly destroy our nation with its OPEN BORDERS INVADERS replacing our DEAD--while they have already destroyed other nations from whence they came with their give me your last centavo breed breed breed--?
    WE ALL ARE EARTHS CARETAKERS--the CC defes all earths existence and logic.