Posted on 11/15/2008 5:32:16 PM PST by Penn4God
In view of the 2008 election, the Christian churches have been noticeably silent. Is this reluctance due to their fear of losing the tax exempt status?
The recent election highlights this issue quite well. Candidates held moral positions that were in direct opposition to known biblical teachings. Despite the candidates support for issues like abortion, religious leaders allowed these candidates to go unchallenged from their pulpits.
Religious leaders are fearful of losing the tax-exempt status if they speak out strongly regarding moral positions that candidates hold. Religious leaders are not directing their comments from their pulpits to influence decisions about candidates based on biblical truths. The result is the election of a pro-abortion, radical candidate for president that many christians supported.
Is it time to amend the IRS code to allow religious leaders the freedom to speak on current issues that have become politicized? The original intent of this IRS code was to silence churches in Texas who spoke out against Lyndon Johnson. The result has been the muzzling of the church by the goverment. Do we call this a free republic?
Thank for your honestly, but pray and faint not. (2 Cor 10:6) “And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.”
Who else has to pay taxes to have free speech? Where is this requirement in the Constitution regarding the freedom of speech? Why should Pastors and Priests get muzzled because their employing institutions don't pay taxes? Again, where is this limitation on free speech in the Constitution?
I am really disturbed by comments on this thread. Does anyone understand that people seeking freedom of religion were the first to settle this land?!
They sought FREEDOM from government persecution and intervention in the practice of their faith!
Now we have so called conservatives on FR who think it’s okay to allow the government to silence religion through the use of taxation?
There is truly a sad lack of basic education regarding the vital history of this country.
Wake up..educate yourselves...this is the greatest experiment in individuality and freedom in the history of the world. Become a part of it... don’t allow it to be destroyed.
And the IRS i have read that the IRS actually states churches alone are de facto tax exempt, w/out registering as 501(c)(3)
Probably.
And it won't be for exclusively discussing the Word of God.
The God given right and obligation for men and women to defend themselves against any and all oppression will be a central tenet.
God bless the USA.
I dare say that the most effectual and balanced conservatism flows out of Bible based evangelical Christian faith. Like as worked towards abolition of slavery, while yet mainly seeking to free souls from the greater form of slavery.
Why let any organization have non-profit status, then? Churches are as deserving of non-profit status as any of the other non-profits. Once again, where is the limitation on free speech in the Constitution to those who pay taxes? Do we have to "pay" for our free speech with taxes? Plenty of people, and other organizations, don't, and they still have free speech rights.
Nobody in a church has to vote the way any Pastor or Priest tells him/her to. But commenting on moral/political issues should be the job of any Pastor or Priest who has something to say on a given issue.
This is a grossly unconstitutional law, and is also manifestly unfairly applied (only a secondary issue).
My pastor does. Every Sunday, with boldness.
They decided to draw the fire of the separation of church and state crowd by deliberately having preachers give political opinion to the flock from the pulpit. They even sent taped sermons with this “illegal” act on them to make it easy to be attacked in court by the IRS. We are awaiting the response of the government now and hope to snip Barry Lynn and the People for the Separations of Church and state's reason for existing to pieces. See below and donate to the ADF today. They are an army of Christian attorneys fighting for the rights of ALL people of faith.
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Pulpit Freedom Sunday
Participating pastors will exercise First Amendment right to speak on positions of electoral candidates Sept. 28
Thursday, September 25, 2008, 8:05 AM (MST) |
ADF Media Relations | 480-444-0020
Comments
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Pastors participating in the Alliance Defense Fund’s “Pulpit Freedom Sunday” will preach from their pulpits Sept. 28 about the moral qualifications of candidates seeking political office. The pastors will exercise their First Amendment right to preach on the subject, despite federal tax regulations that prohibit intervening or participating in a political campaign.
“Pastors have a right to speak about Biblical truths from the pulpit without fear of punishment. No one should be able to use the government to intimidate pastors into giving up their constitutional rights,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Erik Stanley. “If you have a concern about pastors speaking about electoral candidates from the pulpit, ask yourself this: should the church decide that question, or should the IRS?”
Pulpit Freedom Sunday is an event associated with the ADF Pulpit Initiative (www.telladf.org/church), a legal effort designed to secure the First Amendment rights of pastors in the pulpit. A document explaining what the Pulpit Initiative is and is not is available at www.telladf.org/UserDocs/WhatIsPI.pdf.
“ADF is not trying to get politics into the pulpit. Churches can decide for themselves that they either do or don’t want their pastors to speak about electoral candidates. The point of the Pulpit Initiative is very simple: the IRS should not be the one making the decision by threatening to revoke a church’s tax-exempt status. We need to get the government out of the pulpit,” said Stanley.
Stanley explained that, contrary to the misunderstandings of many, tax-exempt status is not a “gift” or “subsidy” bestowed by the government.
“Churches were completely free to preach about candidates from the day that the Constitution was ratified in 1788 until 1954. That’s when the unconstitutional rule known as the ‘Johnson Amendment’ was enacted,” explained Stanley. “Churches are exempt from taxation under the principle that there is no surer way to destroy religion than to begin taxing it. As the U.S. Supreme Court has noted, the power to tax involves the power to destroy. The real effect of the Johnson Amendment is that pastors are muzzled for fear of investigation by the IRS.”
After Sept. 28, ADF plans to provide via news release a list of pastors who participated in Pulpit Freedom Sunday.
ADF is a legal alliance of Christian attorneys and like-minded organizations defending the right of people to freely live out their faith. Launched in 1994, ADF employs a unique combination of strategy, training, funding, and litigation to protect and preserve religious liberty, the sanctity of life, marriage, and the family.
www.telladf.org
I don’t like the govt taking money from anyone, but I’m tired of churches not speaking about politics. Churches need to become very vocal and not care about the consequences.
Amen. The church as seen by the Founders was principally made up of tax paying citizens. And as the Gov. itself is the largest non-profit, and yet suppported by taxes, a requirement that an org. must be a paying taxes to express pol. speech is problematic.
I agree with all the reasons why churches shouldn’t pay taxes.
But right now, they are afraid of loosing their non-profit status, and that is ridiculous. The churches need to become vocal.
Oh, what bliss to have our biggest problem be Hillary saying, “A’hm no ways near tahred.” Sigh. The good old days.
It is a logical extension of the faith.
The present state of global affairs can be further understood by reading "Gulliver's Travels".
Furthermore, today's clerics for the most part got their start in academics.
If you can't do, teach; if you can't teach, preach.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
elaboratte=elaborate
While the Christian faith does manifest that the early church began with a perfect form of communal living, the context was that of a uniquely transformed people who therefore freely forsook all and shared communally, and entrusted the administration not to politicians, but to proven men, vetted by the same Lord who supernaturally radically transformed their hearts and lives, and which men demonstrated their qualifications by consistent Divine supernatural attestation (not Obamateleloquence). And who demonstrated that they were able and hard workers in secualar trades. This context sets it critically in contrast with other models.
And it is manifest in the Scriptures as being more an basic model that would quickly adapt to changing changing situations, as it rather quickly was dispersed to share the faith, and in which believers owned their own property, and even had rich men among them.
(Acts 2:43-46) “And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. 44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common; 45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. 46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,”
(Acts 5:12-13) “And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s porch. 13 And of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them.”
(1 Cor 4:12) “And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it:”
(1 Tim 6:17-18) “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; 18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;”
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