Complaint filed with IRS after Tampa televangelist compares Romney to Satan

Sun-Sentinal ^ | 6/1/07 | Alan Cooperman

[kiriath_jearim]

Florida evangelist Bill Keller says he was making a spiritual -- not political -- statement when he warned the 2.4 million subscribers to his Internet prayer ministry that ``if you vote for Mitt Romney, you are voting for Satan!''

But the Washington-based advocacy group Americans United for Separation of Church and State says the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) should revoke the 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status of Bill Keller Ministries, nonetheless.

[KarlInOhio]

Hitlery/Satan 08!

Even Satan knows it wouldn't be safe to have Hillary as VP. Today President Satan's body was found in Ft. Marcy Park. Newly sworn in President Hillary Clinton expresses her deep condolences to the family: "If I had know he was depressed enough to shoot himself in the back of the head 48 times I would have done something."

[EternalVigilance]

My point exactly. If you are going to mention church with state or visa versa, then they should be taxed to the hilt!...or shut up.

Did I take a wrong turn and end up on DU somehow?

[Hoodat]

Heck, I'd just like to know where in the Constitution that it mentions "separation of church and state". All I have been able to find is a restriction on the US Congress ONLY regarding establishment and free exercise.

[colorcountry]

retread?

(I got in trouble last time I pointed this out)

[THEUPMAN]

You just can not do it and get the same rights as those who only preach religion.

---

Anyone who can separate their religion from their political convictions dosn’t really have either.

[EndWelfareToday]

Those ten commandment monuments are well over a hundred years old and far more valuable than most of the junk the secular humanists and progressives litter our public buildings and property with. Seen the “art” at your local public library lately? One more thing. 86% of the United States population are taxpaying ‘Christians.’ What this means is that most of the money collected is collected from those you hate. If you are going to take my money then I want it back and I want to use it how I see fit without your rules and regulations attached to it and I certainly don’t want some group of simpletons telling me that I must give up my constitutionally protected freedoms in order get my tax dollars back.

[EndWelfareToday]

Heck, I'd just like to know where in the Constitution that it mentions "separation of church and state". All I have been able to find is a restriction on the US Congress ONLY regarding establishment and free exercise.

Amen!

[millerph]

Everyone quit hyperventilating & think about this for a minute. The preacher was just lazy! He could have said “any church that teaches xxx is promoting Satan’s agenda so voting for a member of that church is voting for Satan”. No problem & no IRS violation. ANY preacher should know you can’t use the pulpit to direct votes for a particular candidate by name.

[EternalVigilance]

It’s ridiculous.

Get rid of the income tax and the IRS and be done with this stupid hypocrisy and trampling on the unalienable right to free political speech and religious expression.

[EternalVigilance]

The backbone of the Continental Army officer corps was made up of Calvinist preachers.

They preached their sermons, then took off their robes and went to war.

Government in any form has no business anywhere near that pulpit. Period.

[millerph]

Whatever, the point I’m making is that any preacher with half a brain knows the regulations and what he can/can’t say on issues such as these. This preacher is simply filpping off the IRS in hopes of getting attention, IMO, and it’s working.

[EternalVigilance]

Good. Every preacher in the land should do the same thing tomorrow morning.

[Road Warrior ‘04]

Did I take a wrong turn and end up on DU somehow?

No. The point I was making is that if the Americans United for Separation of Church want to go after churches because they mention something political (read state), then in turn the IRS should go after the Americans United for Separation of Church for mentioning church. Freedom of speech is freedom of speech and I don't care where it is and should not be taxed. (That is unless you are John McCain, who along with Feingold took away political/freedom of speech.)

BTW, I'm insulted.

[EternalVigilance]

Ah...

Well, you have my apologies for misunderstanding you.

[prefersthetruth]

While the Internal Revenue Code allows faith-based groups and other tax-exempt organizations to register voters and to express their views on public issues, the code forbids activities that demonstrate support for a specific political party or candidate. Examples of activities that the IRS considers problematic include inviting a candidate to address a congregation, singling out one candidate for special praise, and highlighting a combination of issues tailored to a candidate’s campaign.

Umm hows that for where I got this crap. It doesn’t say you can’t say what you want. You just have to pay your taxes. And isn’t paying your taxes worth expressing your views.

[DocRock]

"Anyway, those who would permeate the government with their religious symbolism are indeed using taxpayer money to further their cause. Those ten commandment monuments don’t create themselves."

I disagree. Most of the monuments you describe are created using donations, not taxpayer money. As an example:

I was present at the unveiling of the American Heritage Foundation Rock in our county administration building. If you want to see how to legally display the 10 Commandments on government property, you may want to check out this LINK. This was installed on Sept. 11, 2003, (after the Judge Roy Moore problem), with a parking lot full of TV satellite trucks, reporters crawling over each other and overflow attendance. Yes, the ACLU was there, threatening to sue but there wasn't a peep out of them or the media because it can be done legally. Notice the donor names along the bottom.

[DocRock]

"They preached their sermons, then took off their robes and went to war.

Government in any form has no business anywhere near that pulpit. Period."

I am from Muhlenberg County Kentucky, which is named after Gen. Peter Muhlenberg, seen here in this statue inside the U.S. Captitol!

Peter Muhlenberg Statue
U.S. Capitol

"In January of 1776, Muhlenberg sent word for his congregation to gather for his farewell sermon. Ascending his familiar pulpit, he preached from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. The sermon glowed throughout with devoted patriotism as the man of God told his people of his own resolve to fight and, if need be, to die for his country. He closed his message with these words: "In the language of holy writ, there is a time for all things, a time to preach and a time to pray, but the time for me to preach has passed away." Then in a voice that re-echoed through the church like a trumpet blast, he exclaimed, "And there is also a time to fight, and that time has now come." After pronouncing the benediction, Muhlenberg threw off his clerical gown and stood before his people in full military uniform. Stepping down the aisle, he ordered the drums at the door to beat for new recruits. The whole village gathered at the church to learn what strange event had turned a quiet church meeting into a scene of bustle and excitement."

[ASA Vet]

One of those who probably wouldn’t have voted for Jefferson because he was a unitarian.

I didn't vote for Jefferson, but it had nothing to do his religion.

[EndWelfareToday]

Cite the code. Link us to the one you are citing that is in line with what the Constitution says concerning Congress’ limitations concerning legislating the type of hogwash you are flipping us?
In case you’ve forgotten the first amendment, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
if the IRS is using a law to discriminate against Christians, or any other religious group for that matter they are in violation of the US Constitution and it’s 1st amendment and or Congress is in violation of the 1st amendment if they authorized the IRS to impose such restrictions. Far as I can remember we have never had a Constitution Convention to rewrite the US Constitution thereby giving you anti-Christians the authority to discriminate against us.

And another thing, I pay my taxes as you say but my freedoms of Religion and of speech isn't contingent upon me paying them. In fact I had those rights guaranteed to me long before you socialists saw fit to start taxing the citizens of the United States.
My right to worship the God I wish in whatever venue I please be it in public or private trumps your desire to persecute Christians.

[EndWelfareToday]

And let me add... No where in the US Constitution does it say that my public expression of who I will or will not support and what I think of those participating in an election in any way disqualify me or any of my brothers and sisters in Christ from those protections and laws written by Congress over the last 200 years. Christian Churches pay just as much in tax as your corporations do while our parishioners pay over 85% of all the money collected.