Minneapolis, USA -- The Freedom from Religion Foundation in Wisconsin has filed suit against the Minnesota Faith/Health Consortium at the University of Minnesota.
The suit, filed Friday in federal court in Minneapolis, alleges that the consortium promotes personal faith or faith communities in health care and uses state taxpayer funds.
The Faith/Health Consortium comprises Fairview Health Services; Luther Seminary and the University of Minnesota Academic Health Center.
The suit asks for an order barring the defendants from continuing to operate the consortium and from providing graduate programming. It also asks for an order prohibiting the defendants from using state funds to promote religion through its Faith/Health Clinical Leadership Program.
Seven Minnesotans were listed as joining the foundation in filing the suit against university President Robert Bruininks; Dr. Frank Cerra, senior university vice president for health services, and Dr. Mary Jo Kreitzer, director of the Center for Spirituality and Healing.
Mark Rotenberg, the university's general counsel, said he could not comment because the suit has not been served.
The suit alleges that the consortium's goal is to emphasize the purported link between faith and health. The consortium's actions convey a message that religion is favored, the group said.
"The defendants' actions have violated the fundamental principle prohibiting government endorsement of religion by using state taxpayer funds for the operation of a faith-based organization whose religious objective is indivisible from any secular objective," the suit said.