[Izzy Dunne]

ISSUE: Ever heard of the First Amendment?
Apparently, it doesn't apply if you're in church.

ISSUE: Ever hear of taxes?
They don't apply if you're in church.

Perhaps they should.

[Dog Gone]

I'm sure Jesse Jackson and Louis Farrakhan strongly support this bill.

[DPB101]

Without preachers and their sermons, there would have been no American Revolution. John Witherspoon, Jonathan Mayhew, Abraham Keteltas, James Caldwell, Peter Muhlenberg and other clergy not only gave Biblical justification to the war but often served in combat themselves. And today, thanks to LBJ, the IRS and some recent Supreme Court rulings, religion and politics are not allowed to mingle.

The founders would not have believed it could happen.

[ikka]

Note that this law has in fact been used, but only against pro-Republican churches. When Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson get in front of a pulpit and talk politics, the IRS looks the other way. Thus getting rid of the law would be a good idea.

[Arkinsaw]

I'm reminded of political speeches in black churches and Democratic Party "walking around" money. I'm reminded of church's involvement in gun control, in the Elian Gonzalez case, in gay rights, etc. Church hierarchies these days tend toward the liberal positions. This is, of course, why they are considering changing the rules. Even if they do change the rules, they won't be applied evenly. You can bet that the Episcopal or Methodist churches will be treated much differently than a fundamentalist non-denominational.

Churches should stay out of politics.

[LiteKeeper]

SPOTREP

[Conservababe]

And does the government apply the same standards to Moslem congretations?

[Brad’s Gramma]

bttt!

[NH Liberty]

Without preachers and their sermons, there would have been no American Revolution. John Witherspoon, Jonathan Mayhew, Abraham Keteltas, James Caldwell, Peter Muhlenberg and other clergy not only gave Biblical justification to the war but often served in combat themselves. And today, thanks to LBJ, the IRS and some recent Supreme Court rulings, religion and politics are not allowed to mingle.

Amen to that.

This has been a bill that I've been watching for quite some time. But are you sure the HR # is correct here? It used to be H.R. 2357, I believe.

[Sloth]

I am at a loss as to why churches are tax-exempt now.

[newgeezer]

There are limits to what your preacher can say from the pulpit -- limits placed there by the government.

If anyone is limiting what can be said from the pulpit, it's the church itself, and that's only because the church doesn't want to render to Caesar.

When all is said and done, it's a matter of faith.

[gdani]

This bill is nothing more than an attempt by houses-of-worship to have their cake & eat it too.

First, churches are not at all prevented from speaking aout on any moral or politcal issue of the day. Those who claim they are are either woefully misguided or lying.

However, if they are registered as a 501(c)(3), i.e. non-profit, church then they are forbidden from endorsing candidates, most political lobbying, etc. This is the same exact rule/law for every single 501(c)(3) organization in the U.S. from the ACLU to the NRA.

It's not required anywhere in U.S. law that a church register as a non-profit organization. If a church does want to endorse a candidate, lobby, etc they can either deregister themselves or form a 501(c)(4) -- which is exactly what the ACLU, NRA and thousands of other organizations have done.

Instead, supporters of this bill want to carve out a special exemption for themselves -- and not other non-profit organizations -- so that they won't have to pay taxes but can still engage in political activity when, again, the real answer is to deregister or register with the IRS in a slightly different manner.

[JohnnyZ]

"The language in this bill is a bit different than the language of the last. The Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act deals with the freedom of speech and nothing else," Congressman Jones explained following the introduction of the bill. "I wanted to address some of the concerns from last year's debate. This issue is focused on the free speech of America's pastors, priests and rabbis. It isn't about campaign fundraising, it never was. This new language fully expresses that."

The Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act would allow religious leaders to speak from their pulpits however they see fit without fear of losing their tax-exempt status. The bill was introduced with thirteen original cosponsors, including Rep. Robin Hayes of North Carolina's 8th district; the Majority Whip, Roy Blunt; and the Majority Leader, Tom DeLay.

http://jones.house.gov/html/010903.html

[Lady Eileen]

bump...thanks for the post

[NeoCaveman]

NOTE: Please be sure to forward this to everyone you know that wants to see free speech rights apply to ALL Americans, in EVERY situation.

Including Wahabbi imans calling for Jihad on a Friday night? Seems to me that wouldn't be prudent right now.

[narses]

Ping

[ladyinred]

So,good ole boy Lyndon did this did he?
Seems Rats were against free speech even then weren't they. He went totally against the constitution doing so, but then, democrats don't like that nasty ole document.

[Coleus]

bttt.

[DrewsDad]

resolution marker