What part of “separation of church and state” do they not understand - it goes both ways (I know that’s not what is written but I’m just using their mantra).
“Congress shall make no law regarding an establishment of religion.”
That doesn’t just mean the CREATION of a state church, it also means the state has NO jurisdiction over the church. It’s fundamentally what they can’t tax the church, even if liberals would like to. When they think the state can start telling the church what to do....the Constitution is truly ripped up. Time for change.
Yes, churches have an exemption from paying taxes because of the First Amendment, not because of Section 501(c)(3). Section 501(c)(3) simply recognizes the pre-existing constitutional exemption.
But ever since the Johnson amendments banning politics from the pulpit, the lefties have been arguing that exemption from paying tax is simply a matter of legislative grace, and can be conditioned by controls over the churches.