You said:
I appreciate the fact that churchs and special interest organizations have tax-exempt status. I believe that this helps contribute to America being a "market place of ideas."
That was YOUR remark, not mine.
Then you said:
You may believe that it is unfair that Judicial Watch spends large amounts of their income on fundraising, but apparently, their supporters do not seem to mind.
Now I ask you again: what would the people in your father's congregation say if he only spent 4 percent of what he took in on preaching the gospel?
They're both non-profits, so to speak; they both "collect" money -- admittedly people give of their own volition -- but they do give for a stated purpose.
What would the congregation say if your father spent 96 percent of the donations to his church on something OTHER than preaching and spreading the gospel?