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To: lilylangtree
If the church did not file for tax exemption, then it could engage in political activities, but tax exemption is irrelevant to the church's liability in tort under the common law. Hence, in answer to your question: no, having a non-tax exempt status would not protect the church from the encroachment of judicial decisions on the church's ability to practice biblical doctrine.

Count on this--it will not be long before the church will not be able to offer Christian couseling services for fear of liability in tort, and it won't be long after that when our preachers will be sued for teaching that engaging in homosexuality or adultery is the intentional infliction of emotional distress and therefore actionable under tort law.

In the lawsuit I just consulted on, the plaintiff recanted his original allegation immediately after making it and continued to recant for five years. Nevertheless, the church was held liable for hundreds of thousands of dollars because it followed the biblical doctrine that the plaintiff confess his lie before the congregation. Even after he won the judgment, the plaintiff continued to recant and even went so far as to go to the police and give them a taped statement that he had lied and his attorneys had forced him to make the original statement.

25 posted on 06/12/2003 7:14:46 PM PDT by stryker
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To: stryker
If the attorneys "forced" this young man (a minor?) into this lie, wouldn't that be coercion and therefore the attorneys would be liable?
26 posted on 06/12/2003 7:21:28 PM PDT by lilylangtree
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