President Clinton's budget proposal includes no funding for the
Religious Freedom Act (see link #1 below). The law, passed last
year with the support of numerous religious and civic leaders, is
designed to fight religious persecution around the world. It
authorizes creation of a 10-member commission to monitor
persecution and to make policy recommendations to the president.
Four of the members are to be appointed by the president, but
Clinton has yet to name anyone to the panel.
..."If we allow the president to ignore the law, we will be
sending a message to the thugs of the world that -- Act or no Act
-- we will sit by and do nothing while they torture and kill
people of faith," Chuck Colson of Prison Fellowship said on his
Breakpoint (see link #2 below) radio program. Colson's listeners,
as well as Christians from other groups, helped win passage of
the law by urging members of Congress to vote for it.

RELATED LINKS:
1: http://www.religiontoday.com/Archive/FeatureStory/view.cgi?file=19981012.s1.html
2: http://www.breakpoint.org/

Reprinted with permission from Religion Today, http://www.ReligionToday.com."
 
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