Posted on 10/18/2014 8:28:58 AM PDT by Patton@Bastogne
The “love of money” argument has nothing to do with it. It is a Red Herring to blind us from seeing the real fight. This is about a fundamental freedom being violated using the unconstitutional misapplication of the IRS 501-C3 rules. The Supreme Court has spoken about the 501-C3 and we know how the unconstitutional Obama Regime went around that ruling when they used the IRS to shut down the political voice of conservative organizations just before the 2012 elections. Now they are trying to go around the Constitution using the 501-C3 against churches. If we can’t see that, we are blind.
Any church members across this country that do not stand with these Texas clergy/churches need to be sold to arab slavers!
Wow. I am very surprised by you. You have absolutely and completely failed to recognize that what we have been saying is that the power to tax is the power to control.
I am curious, “ I welcome being called an ass in this fight.” Who are you fighting?
The clock is ticking.... And the buzzer will be going off soon. Hurry hurry.
I’m a pastor and I don’t even think about someone’s tax deduction. In fact, I don’t think about deductions of any kind at all, because unless they total to a goodly amount, everyone falls under the standard deduction anyway.
All of this is moot, however, because the 1st amendment clearly disentangles governments from church business.
However, as with marriage, there are activities of the church that naturally overlap activities of the government. That doesn’t mean that government determines if 2 people married by a church are married. Nor does it mean that a worship building built by a church is subject to the government.
The bravest conservative out there.
Cruz 2016. You know it.
I agree with you.
But I don’t want to give them a legal handle. Remove the 501c3 then what do they have? I believe this makes it easier to see exactly what you are proclaiming and exactly what I agree with.
I believe that having the 501c3 allows them to cloud the issue.
I want to make it real clear to everyone that what you are proclaiming, and what I agree with, is the deeper issue at hand.
I'm not really disagreeing with your point. I'm just making the further point that, totalitarians being who and what they are, there will always be another handle. The problem isn't the handle, its the Godless totalitarian.
They are not just using IRS rules, they are using zoning rules, they are going after custody of peoples' children. Whatever it takes. So, while I understand that you may consider it good to remove a handle, just know they're coming anyway.
The case is not “closed.” The scripture says, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s”. The founders of our nation closed the book on what things are Caesar’s, and it included the power not to tax churches for their profession of faith. They knew that the power to tax is the power to control. We know how the power to tax can give one citizen special tax exemptions for their behavior. When that power is being used to control tax exemptions for their First Amendment right to speak, that crosses over the line. The use of the IRS to control the freedom of speech of the citizen is an unconstitutional application of power and we damn well be fighting that use of power. We are not fighting that fight if we give up freedom—the freedom from taxation by the churches.
Why give up something that is an inherent right of religious expression?
Why not work to eliminate the political speech exemption from the 501(c)(3) statute?
IMHO the limitation is a violation of the first amendment free exercise clause. Religion and politics are more often than not intertwined. These secularists are as religious about their atheism and hatred of Christ as Christians are about their beliefs. We need to stand up for our rights, not surrender them!
The use of the Hillsdale College argument is a straw dog argument. Nice try.
“Hillsdales educational mission rests upon two principles: academic excellence and institutional independence. The College does not accept federal or state taxpayer subsidies for any of its operations.”
http://www.hillsdale.edu/about
If you agree to be taxed, then you open the door to even more harassment as they demand ever more documentation, and mistakes or lack of documentation on your part become federal tax fraud.
Well said. At least you are getting the picture. The totalitarians are going after the church and we had better be fighting it as hard has our forefathers fought to fight the totalitarians in their day.
“Following almost a decade of litigation, the U.S. Supreme Court decided against Hillsdale in 1984. By this time, the College had announced that rather than complying with unconstitutional federal regulation, it would instruct its students that they could no longer bring federal taxpayer money to Hillsdale. Instead, the College would replace that aid with private contributions.”
http://www.hillsdale.edu/about/history
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