Posted on 10/08/2004 4:10:51 PM PDT by Ed Current
A Republican congressman has joined with African-American clergy and other members of Congress to demand that the House and Senate restore free speech to houses of worship.
North Carolina Rep. Walter B. Jones joined with Reps. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and Robin Hayes (R-N.C.) Thursday to drum up support for Jones' bill, the Houses of Worship Freedom of Speech Restoration Act (HR 235).
"There is a muzzle upon the clergy. As ministers, we are obligated to speak about the moral and political issues of the day, and taking away that right is harassment. It is wrong, and it is extortion," said Clergy United leader Bishop Anthony Muse, who called on the Congressional Black Caucus to back Jones' bill and to push for its passage.
"To the black Caucus, we need you here. This is our time to speak out. We need the entire religious community to come together now - black and white, people of all faiths - and say, 'this is our right, this is our time,'" Muse added.
"I truly believe there is no future for America unless our preachers are allowed to speak freely about what God puts into their hearts and minds," said Jones. "There would have been no civil rights movement without ministers speaking out for freedom, and we must give that right back to our great ministers like those here today with me."
"This is a fight we must not give up because it is about saving morality for the future of this great country," Jones added.
Pastor Carlton Preston, who joined Jones and 50 other ministers with Clergy United, invoked the late President Ronald Reagan's famous Brandenberg Gate speech. "As Reagan said, 'Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall,' I say today tear down this religious wall and let our preachers speak their minds," said Preston.
Cantor, who is chief deputy majority whip, referenced the unintended change in the tax code that resulted in the suppression of speech. An amendment by former President Lyndon B. Johnson from 1954 changed the tax code thereafter putting churches at risk of losing their tax-exempt status if their ministers spoke out about the moral and political issues of the day.
I only phrased it that way because you posted to me as if I was a petulant school child. The "fact" of the matter is that the word "church" has multiple meanings and the author of the headline could have chosen a better word or phrase, such as:
Introduces Bill to Restore Freedom of Speech to the Church"
or
Introduces Bill to Restore Freedom of Speech to the Clergy"
Note also the first line of the article and the use of "houses of worship" this also is a poor turn of the phrase, which is indicitive of poor communication skills on the part of a supposed professional writer.
My criticism is just, you just happen to dislike it.
Bump for later
PING
Please let me know if you want on or off my Pro-Life Ping List.
--- "I was on the Jerry Falwell Show last Friday in Lynchburg, Virginia, and he is in 50 States, and we talked about this issue. Mr. Speaker, part of the problem is that the IRS says they cannot enforce this law, anyway." ---
Which leaves the question:
--- Has any church ever lost their tax exempt status because of forbidden political speech?
Has it ever been challenged to the Supreme Court?
I wish he was my congressman.
I live only one county away in NC-1 and am stuck with G.K. Butterfield.
Oh well, at least Butterfield isn't a raging moron like Eva Clayton was.
Huh? What are these black preachers upset about? They've had freedom of speech all along. It's the white preachers that are stifled.
Praise the LORD!!! Please Lord let this pass. We need to have our political voice restored. It is against the constitution that we have been denied our right to free speech. If we get it back everything will be different. We have been muzzled and this is why evil has been able to take over this country to the extent it has.
This is why we do not pay taxes.
Actually nobody should have their speech muzzled including all non profits. Isn't it something how pornographers and filth peddlers are so protected but the people of God cannot speak.
To say the church has not the right to freely speak about politicians is to say that God is excluded from this realm of our lives and that the things of God do not bear upon the political process. God is in all and over all.
Yes, it really is as simple as abolishing the IRS. Just look at all of the freedoms that have been eroded because our tax system.
I would think so!
"Church" refers to a collective, not just the building, and as such can speak.
See my posts 21 and 15.
Yes it is. I have heard pastors say, "one candidate is pro-life, the other is not, if you can't figgure out which is which, get some help."
In most churches, the pastor asks for prayer request or announcements. At that time I can say anything I want to, without putting the church's 501c3 in danger of being revoked.
So headlines should never contain any word that has more than one meaning, even if the intended one is obvious? That's known as "grasping for straws", Michael.
Oh I PRAY that this amendment passes OVERWHELMINGLY...........
Lets see how far it goes this time.
Once again the dems, kerry, jackson and sharpton spoke at a church today.
They can, we can't, I do and everyone at our Church Prays for President Bush!
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