Republican lawmakers investigating Biden admin. funding humanist group to spread atheism abroad
Republican members of Congress have expressed concern over the Biden administration’s apparent funding of an international organization that seeks to advance atheism overseas.
Reps. Michael McCaul of Texas, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Chris Smith of New Jersey, chair of the Subcommittee on Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations; and Brian Mast of Florida, chair of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Accountability sent a letter earlier this month expressing concerns that the administration is funding efforts to spread atheism abroad.
The congressmen’s letter was addressed to Acting Assistant Secretary Erin Barclay of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, and Ambassador-at-Large Rashad Hussain of the Office of International Religious Freedom, both of the U.S. Department of State.
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In the letter, the congressmen said Barclay and Hussain were not providing sufficient answers to previous queries about the State Department’s apparent funding of humanist events in other nations.
They specifically referenced a 2021 Notice of Funding Opportunity program titled “Promoting and Defending Religious Freedom Inclusive of Atheist, Humanist, Non-Practicing and Non-Affiliated Individuals.”
One of the program outcomes listed in the NOFO includes increasing the “capacity among members of atheist and heterodox individuals to form or join networks or organizations, implement advocacy campaigns, and to engage with the public on issues of tolerance and acceptance of all regardless of faith.”
The letter to the State Department officials claims that this violates the Bureau and OIRF’s explicit rule not to “provide funds to any organization with the aim of using such funds to promote or advance specific religious ideologies or beliefs.”
“Nor may the [State] Department evade responsibility by claiming that a constitutional analysis is unwarranted, because humanism is not synonymous with religious belief,” stated the letter.
“For over half a century, the courts have considered Humanism a ‘religion’ protected under the Establishment Clause, and therefore held that Humanism may not be specifically promoted using aid money from the government.”
The congressmen explained that Humanists International, an organization that eventually received the grant, actively tries to spread atheist beliefs abroad, and works alongside groups that actively promote humanism in the United States.
“The awarding of the DRL NOFO to HI reveals major flaws in the Department’s screening process for potential constitutional violations,” continued the letter. “The Department’s efforts to combat religious persecution abroad do not entitle the Department to promote particular religions using taxpayer funds.”
For its part, the State Department has defended the decision to give the grant to Humanists International, with a spokesperson telling RealClearPolitics that the NOFO was about defending freedom of conscience abroad.
“This [funding opportunity] solicited programs to promote respect for freedom of conscience and the human rights of nonbelievers and others to live without repression and in their societies on account of their beliefs or non-beliefs,” stated the spokesperson.
“We welcome Congressional interest in our efforts to ensure that all people around the world are free to live their lives in accordance with their conscience and beliefs and will continue to engage with the committee — having already turned over hundreds of pages of documents, hosted two briefings for the committee … and had the ambassador-at-large testify before the committee in July.”
