FEDS ENLIST CHURCHES IN ANTI-DRUG EFFORTS

In anti-drug efforts In it's latest effort to implement faith-based
initiatives, the federal government is hoping churches in America will
expand their role of saving souls to saving brain cells as well.

But many Americans are concerned that the efforts tread dangerously close to
bridging the separation between church and state.

The Office of National Drug Control Policy last week began offering guides,
brochures and Web sites to help leaders of religious youth groups teach
their members to avoid marijuana and other drugs.

"Faith plays an important role when it comes to teen marijuana prevention,"
said John P. Walters, director of the office. "Faith communities can help
influence a teen's decision not to use marijuana and other drugs."

A study published in March by the American Psychological Association found
that teenagers were less likely to use marijuana when they thought religion
was important to their lives.

The new initiative has drawn support from such religious groups as the
Islamic Society of North America, the National Council of Churches and the
B'nai B'rith Youth Organization.

Critics of the administration's religious initiatives said spiritual groups
already are fighting drug use among their members, and don't need the
federal government to get involved.

"It's another example of how the Bush administration is obsessed with
finding a faith-based solution to every social and medical problem," said
Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of
Church and State, a watchdog group.

"Most of the denominations have anti-drug programs. Many combine good
science with their own personal religious message, but they do so without
federal funds, and that's how it ought to be."

The government is providing a 100-page guide to youth leaders. "As a youth
leader, you are in an ideal position to influence youth by illustrating the
practical power of faith in your life," the brochure says.

It suggests that youth leaders discuss peer pressure and lead prayers asking
for strength to say no to "bad influences." For older kids, the brochure
suggests a discussion of what their faith teaches about drug abuse.

Mark Harrison, minister at First Baptist Church of Tahlequah, said his
church does include drug education in some of their youth programs. Still,
he feels that preventing drug abuse among young people is more a matter of
addressing their spiritual lives, and not just filling their heads with
information.

"We have some curriculum in that area that we've used, especially with
junior high-aged kids and older elementary kids," said Harrison.

"But we're going to be unapologetic about Christ-- that's the key to
changing lives.

"It [drug abuse] is not just a low income problem, there are millionaires
and stars with drug problems; it's widespread. We believe that they're
searching for something, and they're not going to find it in just education
alone."

Reverend Thea Nietfeld of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of
Tahlequah said she's not opposed to the government providing educational
materials on drugs, as long as those materials are based on factual
information and not politics. However, she fears that the program may be
just the latest effort by the federal government to carry out a
punishment-based war on drugs.

"The one thing that we've done, as a national movement, is take a look at
the war on drugs, and the war on drugs is not working; the way we've been
fighting the war on drugs is dehumanizing in nature," said Nietfeld, who
added that the emphasis on stiffer prison sentences for drug users and a
lack of treatment and counseling options in the current federal drug
policies are contrary to Unitarian values.

"We would look at the material and see if it's really honest material, or it
it's propaganda."

Jared Schopper, pastor of Boudinot Baptist Church and administrator of
Boudinot Christian School, said he would welcome any assistance the
government wants to give-- provided there are no strings attached.

"We're Baptist, and many years ago, Baptists said church and state must be
separated, and many incidents from history support that position," said
Schopper.

"Any research the government can provide is fine, I'm grateful for that and
I applaud the government in this regard, but if the government says I have
some sort of obligation besides the cost of the materials, then I would
question the government. That's where I would part with any efforts to use
faith-based initiatives."

Schopper said he feels that Christ's message to the Pharisees that exhorted
them to render unto Ceasar what is Ceasar's and to render unto God what is
God's is a good standard to go by when it comes to church/state issues.

"We have now, I believe, a good balance of loyalty to the Lord and
patriotism," said Schopper. "But we do have to be careful, lest in our quest
for money, we surrender our spiritual freedom."