Religion

The right to practice religion, or no religion at all, is among the most fundamental of the freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. The First Amendment ensures the right to practice one's religion free of government interference. It also requires the separation of church and state. Yet, assaults on the freedom to believe continue, in Washington, D.C. and in state legislatures around the country. The ACLU of Northern California works to protect religious liberty by keeping the government out of religion.

Tax-Exempt Bonds? Not for Pervasively Religious Schools
In the Fall of 2002, three Southern California fundamentalist schools needed money to construct new facilities. The schools discriminate in hiring and admission along religious lines and infuse every class and extracurricular activity with religion. The schools sought tax-exempt bonds from the California Statewide Communities Development Authority. The government can issue tax-exempt bonds to nonprofit organizations, acting as an intermediary--a governmental conduit--between the organization and the lender. The organization is able to borrow money at a lower rate, but the state loses tax revenue. In other words, the state subsidizes part of the cost of the loan.
Full story»