Posted on 02/02/2017 12:26:40 PM PST by kevcol
President Donald Trump vowed Thursday morning at the National Prayer Breakfast to “totally destroy” a provision barring religious groups from participation in politics.
“I will get rid of and totally destroy the Johnson Amendment and allow our representatives of faith to speak freely and without fear of retribution,” he said. “I will do that. Remember.”
(Excerpt) Read more at newsday.com ...
Not surprising, since the Johnson the amendment is named for is Lyndon B.
I never understood how it could be legal to single out religions for IRS blackmail. Why not blacks or Latinos, how about homosexuals and lesbians, maybe just all women. That’ll shut them up.
Great news. The Left ignores it anyway
Thanks for the ping boss. Great news.
Careful; that will apply to Islam as well, enabling Imams to spew political Islam at their services...Oh, wait...
Never mind!
Good start but abolishing the IRS would be better.
We watched the Prayer Breakfast.
The more I see and hear President Trump the better I like him.
He goes off on a tangent sometimes, toots his own horn but that aside we have a real get the job done President.
(Boy, it’s so refreshing to add ‘President’ to the name of the office holder.)
I’d say the majority of those churches.
Why?
What is wrong with churches and charities being involved in politics?
This sly, slipping something under the table bit has got to stop. Let churches and charities boldly come out and proclaim their political views.
Pro-Life PING
Please FreepMail me if you want on or off my Pro-Life Ping List.
One of the good things about churches and charities is that they allow people to come together to do some good without regard to parties or ideologies.
That provides a refuge from the relentless partisanship going on now and also brings people together at a time when it seems like the country is intent on tearing itself apart.
If that goes, it will be a major loss -- more wear and tear, more friction, both in our personal lives and in society.
Also, if churches pursue politics more relentlessly than the do now, what is specifically religious be lost as well.
Look at the Unitarians if you need an example of that.
Excuse me but that has to be the most silly thing I read today.
If you think that liberals do ANYTHING without regard to party or ideologies then you are sorely deluded.
And because they control the churches that do involve themselves in politics they decide what is allowable and what isn't.
Does your church support Baby Killers Inc? No problem.
Does your church support Pregnancy Crisis Center? Major problem.
Does your homeless shelter allow mentally ill men to live with small children? No problem.
Do you insist that single men not be housed with the women and children? Major problem.
The end results is not your glorious vision of churches being involved in charitable work but in churches being forced out because they are not allowed to fight back because they are not allowed to be involved in politics.
Protestant denominations are already split somewhat along ideological lines. I can't see that inviting them to take even more of a role in politics would necessarily be a good idea.
You might think it would allow conservative churches to become more political to match liberal ones, but if liberal churches are more politically active now, maybe it's because they're more naturally political and that won't change just because the law does.
Thanks for the ping Jim.
Amen!! Freedom of Speech in the Churches!! Praise God!!
But, that’s different; it’s their culture; white folks just have to understand that!
At least that’s what we were told last time anyone complained about it.
Really?
Would you like to have a chat with The Little Sisters of the Poor about that?
You might think it would allow conservative churches to become more political to match liberal ones, but if liberal churches are more politically active now, maybe it's because they're more naturally political and that won't change just because the law does.
So let's keep a gag on part of the churches. They probably don't have anything to say.
To be sure, there are clashes between the Church and secular authorities. I'm not sure authorizing the Catholic Church to become a massive political lobbying outfit would be the answer, especially given how liberal many Catholics are.
Groups like the Salvation Army manage to do a lot of good without getting caught up in today's culture wars. There's controversy now about charities -- like the Clinton Foundation -- that aren't giving enough money to the people they are actually supposed to help. Add political advocacy and campaign contributions to their functions and that means even less going to people who need it.
So let's keep a gag on part of the churches. They probably don't have anything to say.
I don't know where you're getting that from. No churches -- left-wing or right-wing -- are allowed to campaign or give political contributions and retain their tax exempt status. But if that changes, don't be surprised if the results aren't what you expect. Don't be surprised if it's the left-wingers who function most effectively under the new rules.
Maybe there are grounds for rethinking the Johnson Amendment. Clergy shouldn't be punished for taking a stand (though I'm not sure that actually happens), but I wouldn't want to see politics and religion mashed or squeezed much closer together. There's something to be said for maintaining a respectful separation between worship and politics.
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