American Atheists
                P.O. Box 140195  Austin, TX 78714-0195
                           (512) 458-1244

http://www.atheists.org                               For Immediate Release
PRESS RELEASE                                         April 28, 1997

                    PRESIDENTIAL SUMMIT CAUTIONED
         No "volunteers" at state expense for religious groups!

    American Atheists is cautioning President Clinton, Gen. Colin Powell and
others in the current Presidential Summit on America's future now taking
place in Philadelphia to heed the First Amendment and avoid the creation of
any "volunteer" programs which funnel people into religious groups.
    "There are plenty of state-church separation and civil liberties
concerns we have with the tone of this summit," said American Atheists
President Ellen Johnson.  "While we applaud the idea of voluntary community
activism, we don't want to see the government trying to involve people in
churches or disingenuous "faith-based" social programs under ruses like
'renewing communities' or helping their neighbors.  There are plenty of
secular outreaches for that."
    Ron Barrier, National Media Coordinator for American Atheists, warned
that churches and religious groups could end up being the major beneficiaries
of misplaced, or mandatory calls for community activism.  He noted that
religious social service groups often receive the majority of their funding
already from the government.  "Taxpayers shouldn't be funding religious
groups, especially when they masquerade as charities."  He cited the case of
Catholic Charities, which admits that over 61% of its funding now comes from
government.  "That figure doesn't include the 12% 'program fee' they charge
for administration!"
    "Charity should be voluntary.  We oppose compulsory service of any kind.
Mandatory requirements for so-called 'volunteerism' is just another way of
involving government in the business of advancing and supporting organized
religion," cautioned Ms. Johnson.  "It's just another scheme like school
vouchers or government grants.  Our First Amendment freedoms suffer as a
result."


For more information please contact:
Ms. Ellen Johnson, President   (201)334-4033    Email: ej@atheists.org
Mr. Ronald Barrier, NMC        (718)356-8658    Email:rbarrier@atheists.org