Posted on 04/16/2003 2:27:45 PM PDT by 2nd_Amendment_Defender
The Internal Revenue Service is denying the tax-exempt status of a religious organization simply because of that organization's religious views ... in effect, CENSORING the message and work of the organization!
We have taken this case and have filed suit.
In this critically important free speech case, the I.R.S. has DENIED a prominent Christian organization tax-exempt status for being "too political."
What's especially outrageous about this is the fact that the I.R.S. has taken no action against other organizations - such as NARAL: Pro-Choice America, the Democratic Leadership Conference, and other organizations - that hold a different point of view and are clearly "political" ... Yet they have NOT been denied tax-exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service.
Please understand: This is a FREEDOM issue; not a "money" issue.
If the I.R.S. is free to apply financial penalties to Christian organizations simply because of their religious viewpoint, then the federal government can restrict ANY tax-exempt Christian organizations' freedom to speak out on any issue ...
... and these organizations could be punished for expressing their views on:
* abortion
* anti-family legislation
* the tyranny of the United Nations
* the war against terrorism and issues of national security
* public display of the Ten Commandments
* the validity of the phrase "One nation under God" in our Pledge of Allegiance
* or any other issues of the day!
In this trying hour, with our freedoms threatened by enemies around the world, it's infuriating - heartbreaking - to see our freedoms undermined from within, and by an agency of our own government!
So YES, WE ARE FIGHTING BACK.
* We are in the middle of the lawsuit in U.S. District Court.
* We are committed to pursuing this case all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States, if necessary.
* We will argue that the I.R.S. has created vague, even unintelligible regulations, leaving them with unbridled authority.
In fact, we've been working on this case for some time already - and as you read these words we are making our final preparations for trial. The implications are ENORMOUS.
If the court upholds the power of the I.R.S., who will be able to freely speak out on the important issues of the day?
If we win this case, however, it will allow Christian organizations to continue to speak out without fear of reprisals from the I.R.S., so that this agency of the government can no longer function as the "speech police."
BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP.
Please, if you can, give a gift to help us with this case and all of our work across the country.
Pure hyprocrisy from the friendly I.R.S.
If you wish to donate some money to the American Center for Law and Justice go to this website:
http://www.aclj.org/donor.asp
Interesting that the name isn't mentioned.
And my guess is that the organization spends more of its donations on political activism than 501(c)(3) entities are allowed to.
Filing for 501(c)(3) is a big mistake. Doing so is a tacit agreement that state has legitimate sovereignty over a church. Another way to put it is to say the church's tax exempt status is granted only at the pleasure of the sovereign in exchange for obesiance, rather than being owed by the sovereign in recognition as having been already granted by Someone Else.
Does that answer your question?
Every time I see an article related to FReedom of speech and a non-profit, I sort of go into a slow burn when they ignore one simple fact:
The NRST eliminates the distinction between for profit and non profit businesses and organizations!
I remember as a youngster (in the 40s and 50s), when the IRS had no rules restricting FRee speech, that all manner of organizations were FRee to comment on and support various issues, political parties and persons seeking elected office.
I do not know the date (Geezer, do you have that data?), but at some point in our tax history, the legal fiction of the "501 (c) 3" corporation was instituted, and suddenly, those who were one day legal in disrespecting or promoting an issue, political party or candidate for elected office, were, on the next day, threatened with severe financial penalties if they did so.
For the most part, FReedom of speech, expecially FRom the pulpit (unless it was a Black, Democratic church) ceased to exist.
Every person affiliated with a non-profit (or for profit, for that matter) group ought to get behind the NRST, if for no other reason than to restore their FReedom of speech!
“I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.” [Thomas Jefferson, letter to Benjamin Rush, 1800.]
Click here to help us scrap the Code, scrap the IRS and abolish the VLWC!
You can also click here to sign a petition in support of Fundamental Tax Replacement.
We will never be a truly FRee people so long as we have the income tax and the IRS.
He means, what is the name of the religious organization that the ACLJ is defending?
I'd kinda like to know that myself.
No it didn't say the ACLJ's tax exempt status was revoked it said the ACLJ filed a lawsuit because the IRS "is denying the tax-exempt status of a religious organization"
Frankly, they all ought be taxed. I'm subsidizing every single one of them, and I'm kinda sick of it.
The name of the organization is the "American Center for Law and Justice." A.C.L.J. It's in the title of the article. It's also in the name of the thread.
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