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PASTORS THRILLED TO WIN IRS RULING
liberty legal institute ^ | 5/14/09 | Roe Ann Estevez

Posted on 05/14/2009 8:52:10 AM PDT by OneVike

Plano, TX (May 12, 2009)

– Liberty Legal Institute announced today that the Internal Revenue Service found that pastors who gathered in 2006 for a series of public policy conferences had every right to do so and that the organizers of the events did not violate any tax laws that govern non-profit organizations.

“This liberal attempt to intimidate pastors has backfired,” said Kelly Shackelford, chief counsel of Liberty Legal Institute which represented event organizers. “There is now a clear IRS statement outlining these pastors’ events and approving them as valid under the law.”

In January 2008, the IRS began its investigating into the Niemoller Foundation who held six conferences in 2006 calling pastors to stand up for moral issues and to encourage their congregants to get involved in the political process. The investigation was a result of a complaint filed by a politically liberal organization who accused the non-profit group of breaking the law by trying to influence political campaigns. Specifically, Niemoller was accused of “encouraging pastors at the gatherings to mount voter registration drives and turn congregants out at the polls.” The IRS ruled the meetings were legal

(Excerpt) Read more at libertylegal.org ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: church; election; irs; lping; religiousfreedom; taxexemption
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Ok, now it's time to fire up the Christian pastors across this country and educate them on the truth, because too many have bought into the idea that it is good for the state to do what God told them to do.

Black churches have been getting away with this for years while the white churches were threatened with loss of their tax exempt status. Now the playing field has been officially leveled.
1 posted on 05/14/2009 8:52:11 AM PDT by OneVike
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To: OneVike; Alex Murphy; SendShaqtoIraq; ChicagahAl; SandRat; mia; HiTech RedNeck; SolidWood; ...

Religious tax exempt ping!


2 posted on 05/14/2009 8:53:27 AM PDT by OneVike (Just a Christian waiting to go home)
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To: OneVike

Does it cover left-wing political events at black churches?

Like Hillary’s speeches?


3 posted on 05/14/2009 8:55:44 AM PDT by <1/1,000,000th%
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To: ahadams2; x_plus_one; bastantebueno55; Needham; sc70; jpr_fire2gold; Tennessee Nana; QBFimi; ...
Not Anglican per se, but good news.

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting Traditional Anglican ping, continued in memory of its founder Arlin Adams.

FReepmail Huber or sionnsar if you want on or off this low-volume ping list.
This list is pinged by Huber and sionnsar.

Resource for Traditional Anglicans: http://trad-anglican.faithweb.com
Humor: The Anglican Blue

Speak the truth in love. Eph 4:15

4 posted on 05/14/2009 8:56:26 AM PDT by sionnsar ((Iran Azadi | 5yst3m 0wn3d - it's N0t Y0ur5 (SONY) | "Also sprach Telethustra" - NonValueAdded)
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To: OneVike

The standard has always been, pastors/churches can advocate for issues, but not for individual candidates.

The standard was challenged, but survived the challenge.

Of course you can skip non-profit status and then advocate for candidates as you please, IMO.


5 posted on 05/14/2009 8:57:59 AM PDT by Marie2 (The second mouse gets the cheese.)
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To: OneVike

For later.


6 posted on 05/14/2009 8:59:34 AM PDT by Salvation ( †With God all things are possible.†)
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To: Marie2

That won’t stop the harpies. There are numerous ways to use the tax code to harrass people.


7 posted on 05/14/2009 9:01:06 AM PDT by muawiyah
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To: OneVike

Class Action Civil Rights lawsuit time!


8 posted on 05/14/2009 9:01:22 AM PDT by US Navy Vet
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To: Marie2
Regardless of what was said to be ok. No where in the constitution does it give the government the right to limit free speech. When the government says you cannot speak out on anything or anyone then it is violating the 1st amendment right to free speech.

Remember, the Bill of Rights was adopted to limit the governments control over the people. It is not a document that tells us what we can do, but what the government cannot do!
9 posted on 05/14/2009 9:04:28 AM PDT by OneVike (Just a Christian waiting to go home)
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To: Abathar; Abcdefg; Abram; Abundy; akatel; albertp; AlexandriaDuke; Alexander Rubin; Allerious; ...
“The IRS has unequivocally affirmed the right of pastors nationwide to come together as spokesmen for the Word of God, to interact with political leaders, historians and scholars in discussing the moral issues under debate within our culture..."



Libertarian ping! Click here to get added or here to be removed or post a message here!
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10 posted on 05/14/2009 9:09:52 AM PDT by bamahead (Few men desire liberty; most men wish only for a just master. -- Sallust)
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To: OneVike

I agree re: freedom of speech. I think all the campaign financing laws are garbage. I think anyone should be able to endorse anyone and not get threatened with tax law violations, etc. And we should be able to spend as much of our money as we want promoting a person or a cause. That would be FREEDOM of speech.


11 posted on 05/14/2009 9:12:40 AM PDT by Marie2 (The second mouse gets the cheese.)
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To: Marie2
The standard has always been, pastors/churches can advocate for issues, but not for individual candidates.

It hasn't always been that way, LBJ got laws passed to limit pastors ability to advocate for candidates, in the 50s.

A Church still has tax exempt status, if they are not a 501 C 3, corporation of the State.

12 posted on 05/14/2009 9:16:11 AM PDT by c-b 1 (Reporting from behind enemy lines, in occupied AZTLAN.)
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To: OneVike

This wasn’t about free speech, it was about the tax-exempt status of the churches.

The right decision was made, and for that I’m pleased.

Now they need to move on to the practice of having political candidates speak in churches. Either every church get to do it, or none. Right now it’s only Leftist churches who can.


13 posted on 05/14/2009 9:19:45 AM PDT by Balding_Eagle (Willful ignorance is a dangerous attitude.)
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To: OneVike

Very cool...Onward Christian Soldiers!


14 posted on 05/14/2009 9:22:01 AM PDT by GodGunsGuts
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To: c-b 1
LBJ got laws passed to limit pastors ability to advocate for candidates, in the 50s.

He was President begining with JFK's assasination 11/22/1963 until 1970 (I think).

He didn't get any laws passed to directly limit pastors ability to advocate for candidates, they can do that even today. They just don't get to keep their 501c3 tax exempt status if they do.

15 posted on 05/14/2009 9:27:37 AM PDT by Balding_Eagle (Willful ignorance is a dangerous attitude.)
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To: OneVike

Absolutely. Keep in mind, though, that GRASSLEY was trying to use the IRS to shut down six “televangelists” with whom he disagreed courtesy of his “heresy watchdog” Hank Hannegraf. Wonder how that one is coming?


16 posted on 05/14/2009 9:28:12 AM PDT by LS ("Castles made of sand, fall in the sea . . . eventually." (Hendrix))
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To: Balding_Eagle

LBJ was US Senate Majority Ldr the got those laws passed.


17 posted on 05/14/2009 9:29:32 AM PDT by US Navy Vet
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To: LS

Which televangelists?


18 posted on 05/14/2009 9:31:04 AM PDT by OneVike (Just a Christian waiting to go home)
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To: Marie2

“The standard has always been, pastors/churches can advocate for issues, but not for individual candidates.

The standard was challenged, but survived the challenge.

Of course you can skip non-profit status and then advocate for candidates as you please, IMO.”

The standard is wrong, because the government has no constitutional power to limit political speech, by individuals or groups. In fact they are specificly prohibited from doing so by the 1st amendment.

The government uses the tax code to circumvent the Constitution and do something the Constitiution prohibits: limit free speech. They punish groups that exercise their political free speech rights by taking away their money.

Remember, it was Lyndon Johnson that instituted the non-profit/no-politics rule (long after 1913 when the income tax came into being.) He did it to punish/silence some churches that opposed him in elections in Texas.

There is nothing sacred about this rule. It should go away.


19 posted on 05/14/2009 9:33:52 AM PDT by Brookhaven
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To: Balding_Eagle

In Cleveland, there are churches that handed out “Obama” campaign materials. I saw my co-workers bring the stuff into work and when I asked where they got it, they told me from their church on Sunday morning.


20 posted on 05/14/2009 9:34:46 AM PDT by mom4melody
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