Posted on 05/06/2005 1:36:32 PM PDT by kingattax
I bet there is more to this story. Supporting George Bush in what area? AP left that out for convenience.
Churches are not required to be 501(c)(3) to be tax exempt, and those that choose to do so are being led down the path by a lawyer.
No doubt they're being misled by lawyers selling them on the idea they need to be tax exempt and I'm pretty sure that for parishoners to be able to deduct their offerings from taxes the church has to be a 501C-3.
Paging Rick Rickett et al.
He's excommunicated nine. That means there are five left.
No they don't. All they have to be is a bonafide "Non Profit Religious Organization" as registered with the state's Secretary of State. It can be a corporation or not. It must meet the requirements, but it most definitely does NOT need to be a 501(c)(3). This has been discussed dozens of times here on FR, and each time I see it I end up telling people this. The IRS AUTOMATICALLY recognizes a church as Tax Exempt, whether it files as a 501(c)(3) or not.
My point is that many churches do become corporations for various reasons and I understand your view that some do not acquire corporate status yet are recognized as a tax exempt organization. In either case the fact is that the IRS holds the 'tax exempt' hammer over the heads of these churches to the degree that if they determine that the pastor spends far too much sermon time talking politics or criticizing public policy of the fedgov then the church may have it's status revoked. That's why most pastors are so milquetoast when it comes to homosexuality, abortion, illegal immigration, earth worship (gaia), the degradation of public education, etc. In effect they become odorless, colorless, tasteless, charlatans.
I have never once heard of a non-501(c)(3) church that lost tax exempt status because of what they preach or say from the pulpit. That law only applies to 501(c)(3) organizations.
ALL CHURCHES, no matter how they are organized, are automatically tax-exempt.
The point here is that most churches fall into the trap of listening to lawyers and/or some misinformed, well-intentioned person who just doesn't understand that a church NEED NOT become a 501(c)(3).
The problem is also with ignorant pastors who think they cannot make certain statements for fear of losing their tax-exempt status. This is no different from school principals who won't allow any form of religious activity at their school, when it is perfectly legal. Ignorance rules.
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