Posted on 08/16/2013 1:42:44 PM PDT by xzins
A coalition of church and ministry leaders has submitted a report to Congress calling for an end to the ban on political endorsements from the nation's pulpits.
The 60-page report is called “Government Regulation of Political Speech by Religious and Other 501(c)(3) Organizations,” and carries the subtitle “Why the Status Quo Is Untenable and Proposed Solutions.” Authored by the Commission on Accountability and Policy for Religious Organizations, the report hopes to bring clarity to current IRS restrictions on political expression by nonprofit organizations.
“Fundamentally, one of the main problems is that the guidance related to the law is vague,” he expresses. “Ministers and non-profit leaders are never quite sure where the lines are – and they’re very afraid of those lines because if they cross them the organizations [they represent] can lose their tax-exempt status.”
Nevertheless, over the past several years, hundreds of pastors have preached political sermons in an annual "Pulpit Freedom Sunday" effort to get the law declared unconstitutional.
“[The study] shows that 45 percent of African-American church-goers indicate that they hear sermons about specific political candidates in their worship services,” notes Batts. “That same study indicated that African-American Protestant church-goers are eight times as likely to hear sermons about candidates in their church as [are] their white mainline Protestant counterparts.”
The report recommends freedom of speech for non-profits and pastors to say “whatever they believe is appropriate”– even when addressing political candidates – without fear of IRS reprisal; but also advises preserving the current IRS policy prohibiting use of tax-exempt donations for political campaign activities.
The long anticipated report, with recommendations, has been turned over to Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), who requested the commission and report.
(Excerpt) Read more at onenewsnow.com ...
1. End ban on free speech about candidates
2. Continue to Prohibit using church donations to fund political campaigns
It has already has been ended in minority dominated churches. They do whatever they want. I think the gag order on churches is crazy. Churches should be able to be involved politics as much as unions or corporations are.
Yep. It is unconstitutional to forbid freedom of speech, and it’s a violation of free exercise of religion to control comments made from a pulpit, and it’s a violation of free exercise to tax someone’s religious donations.
That’s another reason that a the income tax should be repealed. You’re only taxed when you buy.
If Obummer`s govt. attacks our religion,
we will counterattack in like manner.
The gloves are off.
One of the real dangers of churches to liberal politicians is that they are everywhere all over the entire nation.
They are convenient, spread throughout the population, and generally promote traditional values.
If they were to organize, they are exponentially more capable of running grassroots campaigns that any other organizations in the entire nation.
They are a tremendous worry to liberals who realize that they are both a ready-made location for organizing and they are a virtual alternative media when they speak out.
Avoid the IRS trap by not filing for 501(c)3 status.
Exactly.
Lots of times the filing is at denominational level.
In any case, not filing is moot anymore since the IRS requires donations on the paperwork for the 1040 list the names of organizations donated to and the amount, iirc.
Wonder what they’d do if someone wrote in: Kingdom of God.
But, the bottom line is that taxing donations violates free exercise of religion.
Submit a separate form for each $1 contributed. Drown them in paperwork.
First, let’s explore the beginning of the muzzling of the churches. This was made into law, while LBJ was SENATE MAJORITY LEADER, in the mid 50’s. During his re-election, the churches in Texas went against LBJ. In retalliation, LBJ passed this law, forbidding chuches to get into politics, or loose their TAX BREAKS. Now that people have become more aware of this, the churches are again becoming vocal during elections. I think it’s great. I’m hoping that all churches will become more political and finally, our priests and pastors are getting back their cojones
Each and every Church has the authority to ban political speech in its own pulpits.
Guess what. The Bible teaches against sodomy. Against LIARS and whoremongers. It is against stealers, and murderers.
It is even against lusting (Weiner). And stealing the property belonging to another (taxes).
The left is all for these things and more!
Pastor Peter Muhlenberg actually.
“It was Sunday morning early in the year 1776. In the church where Pastor Muhlenberg preached, it was a regular service for his congregation, but a quite different affair for Muhlenberg himself. Muhlenberg’s text for the day was Ecclesiastes 3 where it explains, ‘To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven; a time to be born, and a time to die, a time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted...’”
“Coming to the end of his sermon, Peter Muhlenberg turned to his congregation and said, ‘In the language of the holy writ, there was a time for all things, a time to preach and a time to pray, but those times have passed away.’ As those assembled looked on, Pastor Muhlenberg declared, ‘There is a time to fight, and that time is now coming!’ Muhlenberg then proceeded to remove his robes revealing, to the shock of his congregation, a military uniform.”
“Marching to the back of the church he declared, ‘Who among you is with me?’ On that day 300 men from his church stood up and joined Peter Muhlenberg. They eventually became the 8th Virginia Brigade fighting for liberty.”
“Frederick Muhlenberg, Peter’s brother, was against Peter’s level of involvement in the war. Peter responded to Frederick writing, ‘I am a Clergyman it is true, but I am a member of the Society as well as the poorest Layman, and my Liberty is as dear to me as any man, shall I then sit still and enjoy myself at Home when the best Blood of the Covenant is spilling? ...So far am I from thinking that I act wrong, I am convinced it is my duty to do so and duly I owe to God and my country.”
http://www.blackrobereg.org/history.html
Gays will use the IRS to threatened to promote the homosexual agenda or lose their tax-exempt status. I could picture some megachurches rolling over.
I don’t go to church to hear about politics.
I go to hear about about Jesus.
I have a better idea: eliminate the income tax and the IRS.
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