by Victor Medina

Created on: March 16, 2009   Last Updated: March 17, 2009

After stories of scandal and possible financial impropriety involving the Catholic Church in Connecticut arose, activists went running to the state government to address the issue. Perhaps, it is part of the bailout mentality sweeping the country, but entertaining the idea of government handling all of our problems for us sets a dangerous precedent. In the case of religious institutions, there is also a very clear constitutional line being crossed.

Whether it is the Catholic Church in Connecticut, a Scientology Church in Los Angeles, or a Pentecostal church in Kansas City, eventually, scandal or wrongdoing is going to happen somewhere. Rather than handling illegality through proper procedure, no government, on any level, should overreact and mandate how those institutions should be run. The obvious reason is that, no level of bureaucracy has shown the ability to manage anything better than private hands.

The current bailout is proof positive that the bigger the problem, the bigger the mess the government makes of it when they try to solve it. Universal health care, social security, Medicare, all good ideas that now exist in disarray because of government ineptitude. No matter how good the intention, having government define the terms under which a church should operate and provide oversight is doomed for greater mismanagement and failure.

Of greater concern is the fact that religious discrimination is the last acceptable form of bigotry left in this country. Everywhere you turn, popular culture characterizes people of faith as radical fundamentalists devoid of common sense. Catholics are seen as pedophiles; Evangelicals are seen as overly pious and judgmental; Mormons are ridiculed as polygamists, and Scientologists are portrayed as alien worshipping, couch-hopping spoiled celebrities. A recent survey shows the populace is growing less religious. Why then, would we ever want to open the door for religious institutions to be governed by those who do not respect their beliefs? Perhaps that control is exactly what some want.

These arguments are moot in the face of the United States Constitution, which makes it very clear: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." It is the very First Amendment in the Bill of Rights. There is no need to debate this point, unless someone would like to argue how Connecticut does not fall under the authority of the Bill of Rights.

Those calling for government oversight also fail to understand that the Catholic Church already has parishioners who provide input and oversight. It is up to the members of the church to decide whether that oversight should be expanded.

No matter what you may think of the Catholic Church, this radical overreach is the worse example of people constantly expecting government to handle problems they could, and should, handle themselves.

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