Posted on 09/29/2008 9:51:31 AM PDT by Berlin_Freeper
Pastor Luke Emrich prepared his sermon this week knowing his remarks could invite an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service. But that was the whole point, so Emrich forged ahead with his message: Thou shalt vote according to the Scriptures.
“I’m telling you straight up, I would choose life,” Emrich told about 100 worshippers yesterday at New Life Church, a nondenominational evangelical congregation about 40 miles from Milwaukee.
“I would cast a vote for John McCain and Sarah Palin,” he said. “But friends, it’s your choice to make, it’s not my choice. I won’t be in the voting booth with you.”
All told, 33 pastors in 22 states were to make pointed recommendations about political candidates yesterday, an effort orchestrated by the Arizona-based Alliance Defense Fund.
The conservative legal group plans to send copies of the pastors’ sermons to the IRS with hope of setting off a legal fight and abolishing restrictions on church involvement in politics. Critics call it unnecessary, divisive and unlikely to succeed.
(Excerpt) Read more at firstamendmentcenter.org ...
“I’m telling you straight up, I would choose life.”
Amen.
Excellent find! The First Amendment was designed to be applied against/restrict the Federal Government, not the states, not the people, and certainly not religion. The Feds have no business telling pastors what they can and can’t say in the pulpit.
A HUGE, ENORMOUS bump for the Constitution. God Bless these pastors mightily!
You want free speech? pay your taxes.
You want no taxes? limit your speech.
That’s how the system works. They’re gonna have a hard time fighting it.
How refreshing to see that there are Christians waking up to the fact that the state has taken away their right of freedom of speech and freedom of religion.
When every Democrat campaigns in Black churches, the state is definitely selectively enforcing this unjust IRS law.
This needs to go to the Supreme Court before the next justice is appointed.
Pastors are free to discuss whatever they want in a sermon. Period. Tax exemption, however, is not available to organizations that advocate for political candidates. The concept is being misrepresented.
“....That’s how the system works. They’re gonna have a hard time fighting it....”
You have 50 years precedent of political speech being ignored by the IRS in black churches. I think they are on pretty firm ground under the Equal Protection Clause.
“You want no taxes? limit your speech.”
When the IRS applies their censorship to imams in U.S. mosques and pastors of Black churches, then you may have a point. However, it seems only pastors of White evangelical churches are subject to this censorship.
Thanks for the ping!
You said it!! The IRS has ignored the Black and Muslim churches openly campaigning for the Democrats and churches that supported Republicans have been punished. I’d say easily there is no equal enforcement of the law.
Sorry, but taxing churches for free speech is a violation of the 1st Amendment because it falls under the 'or prohibiting the free exercise thereof' part of the amendment. There is a reason that freedom of religion and freedom of speech are in the same and 1st Amendment.
Churches then and now are an important voice against the tyranny of government and the framers recognized that fact. People today, not being as educated in basic liberty as the framers were, do not recognize that truth.
What you are arguing is that the 16th Amendment overrides the 1st Amendment and that is not the case unless specifically voted on like the 21st Amendment repealing the 18th.
The 16th Amendment didn't repeal the 1st Amendment.
Show us where in the Constitution freedom of speech is conditional on paying taxes and you MIGHT have a point.
Except for the complicating factor that the federal government is prohibited by that Constitution from restricting speech or the free exercise of religion.
Thankfully, that protects us from the communism that people like you advocate.
Don’t confuse making an observation with agreeing with it.
I see ADF got bored!
ADF???
Alliance Defense Fund.
Their sole purpose in life is to sue the bad guys on behalf of the good guys.
If you have a child in school and your child gets in trouble from the school for handing out candy canes with cards explaining the history of the candy cane....
The ADF wants to represent your child.(For free)
I remember seeing ADF adds in Focus on the Family’s Citizen magazine, saying that they were looking for cases.
My understanding is that they are a bunch of Christian lawyers who like doing pro-bono work. (and like beating up the bad guys)
ADF also accepts monetary donations to cover the cost of operating.
(All from memory)
ADF is cool, cool, cool! Now if they can just figure out a way to go after the ACLU DIRECTLY!!!
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