[gdani]

But this law banning churches from politics violates the basic freedom of speech

But it doesn't ban them from politics.

It bans them from electioneering when they agree to be classified as 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations.

Nothing/nobody forces them to be incorporated as non-profits. When churches agree to that tax designation they are doing so knowing full well what the rules & restrictions are. And the rules are the same for all 501(c)(3) groups - churches or not.

The solutions are simple. A church can abandon its 501(c)(3) status & engage in electioneering (and start paying taxes). Or it can reincorporate itself under a different designation. For instance, as a PAC. It can even create two (or more) technically separate organizations in the exact way that everyone from the NRA to Planned Parenthood have done for years.

But to say churches are banned from electioneering is totally false & misleading. Some churches just want to have their cake & eat it too.

[TommyDale]

I am glad that someone else here understands the IRS rules. Thanks for your posts!

[Preachin']

I am planning to start a church in the near future and have investigated the options to the 501(c)3 status, but honestly, everywhere I go for advice I seem to find weirdos who seem to be more interested in a hippie style of fellowship than actually preaching a risen Christ.