Stimulus bill and muzzling religion -- The "God crushers" are at it again.

Even I was surprised to see an effort by US House democrats to use the economic stimulus bill to stifle religious expression at institutions receiving public dollars.

According to a Fox news story referring to a provision in the House economic stimulus bill:

The provision bans money designated for school renovation from being spent on facilities that allow "religious worship." It has ignited a fury among critics who say it violates the First Amendment and is an attempt to prevent religious practice in schools.

According to the bill, which the Democratic-controlled House passed despite unanimous Republican opposition, funds are prohibited from being used for the "modernization, renovation, or repair" of facilities that allow "sectarian instruction, religious worship or a school or department of divinity."

Critics say that could include public schools that permit religious groups to meet on campus. The House provided $20 billion for the infrastructure improvements, of which $6 billion would go to higher education facilities where the limitations would be applied.

The term "God crushers" was a term relayed to me many years ago by a civil libertarian associated with the Minnesota Civil Liberties Organization used to describe a stream of civil libertarians moved by an extreme animus to all things religious.

In the final analysis, I have no concerns about who will win the battle between God and His protagonists but in the meanwhile his opponents are under the delusion they can be successful. A fly eating an elephant is analogous albeit in a very superficial way.