Church political signs don't violate law

After seeing messages such as “Abortion is Murder, Upheld by Goulish Lawmakers,” “We Honor the Flag of the God Blessed Nation, Shame on the NFL” and others, a reader wrote to The Citizens’ Voice’s “Ask the Voice” series about whether a church can display political messages. The reader also asked how to report a violation, if in fact there was one...

Abortion, infanticide, euthanasia, all other acts of murder, sodomy (what some call homosexuality) and effeminacy---and the woman-with-woman side of it all, prostitution, gambling, graft and corruption, and all kinds of wickedness common in America today, . . . .

. . . marriage and family, child-rearing, child education, thrift, work ethic, duties to God, individual responsibility, and all positive and good, . . .

. . . and many more issues, . . .

. . . were all BIBLE AND PULPIT issues long before they were political issues.

, if a church overtly supported or attacked a particular candidate, it could lose its tax-exempt status, in theory. That’s because of an IRS guideline known as the “Johnson Amendment.” That regulation says that nonprofits and churches “are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office.”

“But even if a church lost its tax-exempt status, it would still exist. It would just have to follow reasonable tax guidelines to prevent unaccountable, hidden political influence, like any other organization,” Adler wrote

. . . which brings up the fact that as a candidate, Mr. Trump promised the abolition of the Johnson Amendment. Is that an accomplished fact, yet?

Jefferson's Letter to the Danbury Baptists The Final Letter, as Sent To messers. Nehemiah Dodge, Ephraim Robbins, & Stephen S. Nelson, a committee of the Danbury Baptist association in the state of Connecticut. Gentlemen The affectionate sentiments of esteem and approbation which you are so good as to express towards me, on behalf of the Danbury Baptist association, give me the highest satisfaction. my duties dictate a faithful and zealous pursuit of the interests of my constituents, & in proportion as they are persuaded of my fidelity to those duties, the discharge of them becomes more and more pleasing. Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church & State. Adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience, I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore to man all his natural rights, convinced he has no natural right in opposition to his social duties. I reciprocate your kind prayers for the protection & blessing of the common father and creator of man, and tender you for yourselves & your religious association, assurances of my high respect & esteem. Th Jefferson
Jan. 1. 1802.

The Johnson Amendment remains. And Trump reiterated his promise about the Johnson Amendment after he was serving as President, in speech to a National Prayer Breakfast. I oppose the Johnson Amendment because it’s always been unconstitutional. Trump signed the tax reform bill into law despite it allowing the Johnson Amendment to remain in place. As much as I like lower taxes, I wish he had used his veto power to say I swore an oath to support the Constitution. Our tax law must be brought into alignment with Constitution.

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