Posted on 07/24/2004 6:24:55 AM PDT by take
Democrats back church IRS probe Decry 'politically involved religious leaders,' while pastor stands firm on his July 4 sermon
WASHINGTON – The local Democratic Party is supporting an Internal Revenue Service investigation of an Arkansas pastor who is accused of delivering a pro-Bush sermon July 4.
The Washington County Democratic Committee issued a statement affirming a complaint filed by Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, against Ronnie Floyd, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Springdale.
The Democrats say the sermon should be "investigated thoroughly."
The party, the statement said, "looks forward to the day when all citizens may vote their conscience without their political beliefs being dictated to them by politically involved religious leaders, regardless of denomination."
Americans United for Separation of Church and State filed a complaint with the Internal Revenue Service against the pastor's July 4 sermon, suggesting it endorsed the re-election of President Bush and therefore violated the conditions of the church's tax-exempt status.
"American democracy is rooted in the principle of the separation of church and state," the Democratic committee's statement said. "The Washington County Democratic Party remains committed to maintaining this value and belief if only in our small corner of the state."
Associate Pastor Alan Damron of First Baptist replied in a prepared statement: "Contrary to the statement by the Washington County Democratic Party, 'separation of church and state' is not in the United States Constitution. Our Constitution guarantees the right for all to speak on political, social, moral, and biblical issues. The Constitution includes pastors and churches. There have been American religious leaders past and present who did not and have not withheld their opinions about social issues or moral issues and/or politicians who supported or opposed various American rights. If the pastors or churches are not protected by the First Amendment, then neither are professors, or non-profit, tax-exempt educational institutions. The July 4th sermon of Pastor Ronnie Floyd exemplifies the best of our American tradition of freedom and democracy. The message did not violate any IRS provision by any stretch of the imagination, and is most assuredly protected by the First Amendment, that protects us all, even those who may disagree with us."
The church itself issued a statement yesterday: "The alleged letter of complaint to the Internal Revenue Service from Mr. Barry Lynn of the 'Americans United for the Separation of Church and State' is nothing more than a threat to pastors and our churches in America, attempting to intimidate the church into silence. This threat 'to take away our tax-exempt status' based on a July 4 presentation has no credence at all. Pastor Floyd did not violate any laws, nor did he or the church endorse a particular candidate. An attorney who specializes in First Amendment issues and political activity of non-profit organizations has viewed the message presented on July 4 and calls Mr. Lynn's accusations unfounded. Mr. Lynn attempts to intimidate pastors and churches by baseless allegations during every election cycle."
The statement pointed out that the Internal Revenue Service has not taken away the tax-exempt status from any church in the history of our nation for political reasons.
"It appears that some people have two rule books, one for liberal, and one for conservative politics," the statement continued." The fact is that history does not support the baseless threats hurled against conservative churches. Since 1934, when the lobbying restriction was added to the Internal Revenue Code (IRC), not one church has ever lost its tax-exempt status."
Lynn's letter to the IRS reads, in part: "The pastor's description of the candidates' stands and their personal religious beliefs was obviously aimed at encouraging congregants to cast ballots for Bush. The church is known for its stands on social issues and its opposition to legal abortion and gay rights. By lauding Bush's stands on these and other issues and attacking (Sen. John) Kerry's, Floyd was plainly telling his congregation to be sure to vote for Bush.
"I have enclosed a videotape that includes the entire sermon as well as a partial transcript. About 45 minutes into the message, Floyd begins to discuss the differences between Bush and Kerry. Please note that even the imagery employed by the church is designed to promote Bush. A huge photo of Bush is projected onto a screen that shows the president next to an American flag. By contrast, small photos of Kerry are used that show him as one person in a larger crowd. In addition, Bush is shown signing a ban on late-term abortions, an act most church members will laud, while Kerry is shown as one of a group of senators who opposed a law banning same-sex marriage, a stand most church members will likely oppose."
Americans United for Separation of Church and State is one of two organizations in the news for monitoring political statements delivered from America's church pulpits.
In Kansas, monitors from the Mainstream Coalition are being accused of creating a "chilling effect" on the sermons in that state's churches.
Last month, the Mainstream Coalition announced it would send volunteers into area churches to see whether pastors were abiding by federal laws governing political activity by non-profit institutions.
While the group maintains it is non-partisan and objects across the board to all kinds of politicking in the pews, the organization's website shows the Mainstream Coalition has a strong political agenda of its own. Policy statements posted include the following:
strong support of Roe v. Wade strong support of late-term abortions strong support of sex education strong support of human cloning strong support of hate-crime laws strong support of gun control strong support for teaching of evolution strong opposition to prayer in schools strong opposition even to the wearing of religious symbols on government property Some might question just how mainstream those positions are. Would such a group, for instance, object to the use of churches to promote politicians who support such an agenda?
Currently, Mainstream has about 100 volunteers monitoring churches mostly in the Kansas City suburbs.
Americans United, meanwhile, filed another complaint this month with the IRS against the Rev. Jerry Falwell over a column endorsing President Bush on his ministries' website. Falwell, who also writes a column for WND, said the group was waging a "scare-the-churches campaign."
Lynn, the enemy within.
The KGB did the same thing by monitoring the Orthodox Church. A democrat win could usher in all sorts of nastiness.
In that case, I expect IRS investigations of every single damn AME and black Baptist church that Kerry, Edwards, and their Democratic race pimp friends speak in this summer and fall. Every last one of them.
But we know that won't happen. It's only OK for black churches to be used for political benefit, and maybe some white liberal denominations if done quietly...never conservative denominations like the Southern Baptists.
Racist bastards.
Sorry. I haven't had enough caffeine yet to be posting here.
}:-)4
RATS openingly campaign in liberal (especially black) churches all the time. They even film it and have it on TV.
Kansas group monitors sermons
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) - A recent Sunday found Tina Kolm changing her morning routine. Instead of attending a Unitarian Universalist service, she was at the Lenexa Christian Center, paying close attention to a conservative minister's sermon about the importance of amending the U.S. Constitution to ban gay marriage.
Kolm is one of about 100 volunteers for the Mainstream Coalition, a group monitoring the political activities of local pastors and churches.
The coalition, based in suburban Kansas City, Kan., says it wants to make sure clergy adhere to federal tax guidelines restricting political activity by nonprofit groups, and it's taking such efforts to a new level.
The 47-year-old Kolm, from Prairie Village, Kan., said keeping church and state separate is important to her. She doesn't want a few religious denominations defining marriage - or setting other social policy - for everyone.
"What it's all about to me is denying some people's rights," she said.
But some local clergy think the Mainstream Coalition is using scare tactics designed to unfairly keep them out of the political process.
"Somebody is trying to act like Big Brother when there's no need for Big Brother," said the Rev. James Conard, assistant pastor at the First Baptist Church of Shawnee. "It's obviously an intent to intimidate."
Kansas isn't the only place in this election year where church-state separation has become a hot issue, but the Mainstream Coalition's efforts are more intense than most.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State filed a complaint this month with the Internal Revenue Service against the Rev. Jerry Falwell over a column endorsing President Bush on his ministries' Web site. Falwell said the group was waging a "scare-the-churches campaign."
Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United, said local chapters have sent volunteers to church services the Sunday before an election, but he said the Mainstream Coalition's efforts are more sustained.
Some conservatives are upset.
"These people will stop at nothing to silence churches," said Andrea Lafferty, of the Washington-based Traditional Values Coalition, which says it represents 43,000 churches.
The catalyst for the Mainstream Coalition's campaign in Kansas was the debate over gay marriage.
In May, the Kansas House rejected a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution to ban gay marriage. Dozens of pastors then joined a statewide effort to register 100,000 new voters and elect more sympathetic candidates - a move similar to one in Washington state, where an Assembly of God pastor is leading an effort to register 60,000 new voters and re-elect Bush.
Charles Haynes, a senior scholar with the nonpartisan First Amendment Center in Arlington, Va., said Mainstream's tactics only added to the tension in Kansas. "If we want to escalate a cultural war, this is a good way to do it," he said.
But Mainstream's executive director, Caroline McKnight, said her organization is only trying to make sure that churches follow federal law. The group has not yet filed any complaints, she said.
McKnight said Mainstream Coalition volunteers visit houses of worship of all types.
Said Jay Sekulow, chief counsel for the conservative American Center for Law and Justice, of Virginia Beach, Va.: "Who deputized this group and its members to be thought police in Kansas - or elsewhere?"
No, the enemy within is any judge who would not deep-six this motion because of insufficient grounds.
"She doesn't want a few religious denominations defining marriage - or setting other social policy - for everyone."
If there are a few who are out to define marriage, it is zealots like the ACLU, who don't like the definition accepted by American law since 1776 and which is found in Black's Law Dictionary.
bttt
May God strike these spies for Democratic Party dead as doornails.
- Zachary Coile, Chronicle Political Writer
Wednesday, February 4, 2004
Voters interviewed Tuesday said they felt comfortable backing someone who grew up in the mill towns of the Carolinas. Edwards' family moved to North Carolina when he was a young boy.
"He's from this area, and I think he understands the South and the issues of the South," said Roy Chandler, a 71-year white Democrat who runs several retail businesses in Orangeburg.
Edwards built a formidable campaign organization that sent thousands of volunteers knocking on doors. He campaigned in South Carolina for more than a year, and his aides convinced more 100 ministers of black churches to endorse him from the pulpit on Sunday.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/02/04/MNG984OIGK1.DTL&type=printable
Hypocrites at best. Where was the outrage when Clintoon and Bore campaigned in the AME and Buddist churches in Los Angeles? How about the "Reverand" Jesse and his campaigning in the various churches?
One of these days, the Republicans have to take off the gloves and hit back hard.
You sounded right on to me.
In a world where right were right and wrong wrong, the law that includes 501(c)(3) tax exemption status would be declared a violation of the 1st Amendment, because it prohibits the free exercise of religion.
In this world, however, this pastor's church could be padlocked if he won't supplicate himself to his national master.
Americans do not like "McCarthyism" and that is what this smells like.
I think the thought police have overreached. This will backfire.
Americans do not like the IRS, whom the Democrats just made their ally.
Americans really don't like spies and snitches.
Amen. There's no better way to guarentee 100% voting turnout from a church (note:That's a place where God is worshipped for all you 'Unitarians' out there) then to send some abortion-rights wacko type to 'moniter'. Just keep it up dumbasses.
I don't know why they just don't call it "the Separation of God And Man" because that what it boils down to.
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