[Always Right]

Churches DO have first amendment rights, but not with tax exempt status when it comes to politics. If the church wants to play politics, it can simply give up its tax exempt status.

The Government can regulate the Church, but the Church can't say a darn thing about it? This is so ass-backwards, if you can't see it, I am not even going to argue.

[polymuser]

What about individuals that are income tax exempt because they earn less than the minimum taxable income? Can they not talk politics, either?

The more one considers a taxation/political sppech connection, the more ludicrous it becomes. Well, for some folks, anyway.

Churches better stop letting government use their facilities as voting precincts, too.

[gdani]

The Government can regulate the Church, but the Church can't say a darn thing about it?

Why can't the church say anything about it?

[Go Gordon]

The Government can regulate the Church, but the Church can't say a darn thing about it? This is so ass-backwards, if you can't see it, I am not even going to argue.

There is no arguement. The church, like any other business, should pay taxes. But for religeous reasons, the government set up provisions to allow for tax exempt status conditioned upon a few rules (one of which is that the church can't play politics). When the church agreed to take the tax exempt status, they agreed to abide by the conditions precedent. How hard is it to understand? They can't have their cake and eat it too.