New Jersey action alert! ACT NOW: Tell your legislators to reject taxpayer funding for the construction of buildings at schools that train clergy! Protect the separation of church and state. Tell your legislators to reject the list of construction projects! On Monday, April 29, Governor Christie announced $1.3 billion in proposed state grants for higher education building construction projects. The list of construction projects includes two private institutions that train students to become clergy: $10,635,747 (the second largest grant among the proposed recipients) is slated to go to Beth Medrash Govoha, an all-male school that trains orthodox Jewish rabbis, and $645,323 to the Princeton Theological Seminary, which trains Christian ministers. The New Jersey legislature has the opportunity to review the Governor’s proposed grant awards and we urge you to tell your representatives to reject direct taxpayer aid for these recipients. Direct government grants for the building and maintenance of seminaries and rabbinical schools violates the U.S. Constitution’s Establishment Clause. Indeed, in two cases directly on point, the Supreme Court has held that the State may not build or maintain buildings at institutions of higher education that will “be used for sectarian instruction or as a place for religious worship." This is because building facilities at institutions that educate clergy clearly endorses religion. Regardless of whether a person agrees or disagrees with the religion taught at the school, this type of direct government aid clearly circumvents the principle of separation of church and state. The New Jersey Constitution is even clearer on the matter than the U.S. Constitution. It bars taxpayer money from being used “for building or repairing any church or churches, place or places of worship, or for the maintenance of any minister or ministry.” The legislature has received the list of the 176 approved higher education capital construction projects, and has 60 days to accept or reject these projects. Please act now and contact your legislators in the State Senate and Assembly and strongly urge them to reject this list. Tell them, “Please oppose using taxpayer money for the construction of facilities at Beth Medrash Govoha and Princeton Theological Seminary. The U.S. and New Jersey Constitutions bar state-funded construction grants from going to schools that train clergy. Reject the list of higher education capital construction projects and preserve New Jersey’s commitment to the separation of church and state.” Find the contact information of your legislators here: njleg.state.nj.us/SelectMun.asp
Posted on: Mon, 10 Jun 2013 13:10:50 +0000
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