Indianapolis, USA - The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration has scrapped a program to create a network of clergy volunteers to work with agency employees.
The FSSA said a legal challenge by atheists had no bearing on the decision.
The agency hired the Reverend Michael Latham, a Baptist minister from Fort Wayne, in early 2006 to create a network of volunteer clergy to help the agency's employees deal with the stresses of their jobs.
The Madison, Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation sued FSSA Secretary Mitch Roob in U.S. District Court in May, arguing he should not use taxpayer dollars to pay Latham's $60,000 annual salary. The group said Latham's hiring violated the U.S. and state constitutions.
FSSA spokesman Marcus Barlow said the program hadn't lived up to expectations.