[Polycarp]

ping

[Dialup Llama]

Liberal churches and nonprofits never had to follow that limitation.

[Wallace T.]

The greatest injustice in this matter arises from the selective enforcement of this law. Black churches, which favor liberal politicians, have acted as centers of political activism for decades. After all, a large number of black leaders (Martin Luther King, Jesse Jackson, Ralph Abernathy, Al Sharpton) have been ministers. Democratic politicians have appeared at black churches during Sunday morning services during election season as a matter of course. The whip is cracked whenever conservative Christian churches or parachurch ministries take a stand in political affairs, at least when Democrats are in office. Witness the IRS crackdown on several churches and ministries (notably the Christian Coalition) during the Clinton Administration. Yet no action against liberal black churches has been taken by any GOP administration, from Dwight Eisenhower to George W. Bush, either out of fear of being called racist or because someone in the Democrat Party has the goods on prominent Republicans.

Like the "Fairness Doctrine," which was used to thwart conservative presence on the airwaves for 20 years, the restriction on churches in the area of political speech is a form of liberal oppression that must be abolished.

[RonF]

Actually, the title is misleading. Churches are perfectly free to endorse candidates and to lobby for legislation (such as anti-abortion laws). What they are not free to do is to retain their tax-exempt status upon doing so. No one's being gagged. It's their own desire to suck at the government teat that is plugging their mouths.

This law doesn't prevent churches from hosting politicians to speak to their congregations, nor does it prevent pastors from speaking out on abortion, or other issues of the day. Churches supporting conservative causes are as welcome to do this as those supporting liberal causes. Certainly there are plenty of conservative pastors speaking out against abortion.

What it does do is prevent said churches from donating money to a party, or to a candidate. It also prevents a church from campaigning, as a church (as opposed to individuals) for a candidate or from endorsing a candidate, while still retaining their tax-free status. Political organizations (GOP, Dems, etc.) are not tax-exempt, and your donations to them are not tax-deductible (as opposed to donations to churches). If a church starts acting like a political party or a PAC, then they become taxable.

[YoungKentuckyConservative]

I imagine Mosque is allowed to say whatever it wants, huh?

[gcruse]

 Prior to 1954, churches and non-profits had no such restrictions on their freedom of speech or
their right to speak out in favor or against political issues or candidates.

1954.  Wasn't that about the time 'under God' was shoe-horned
into the Pledge of Allegiance?    Politics was plucked from
the pulpit, and the pulpit was poked into the Pledge.  Priceless.
And now what's is, is.  Bwahahahahahahah!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

[EODGUY]

In essence we are hoping to make it legal for Republican candidates to speak from the pulpit just as the dems have done for decades.

Unbelievable.

[lodwick]

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[MissAmericanPie]

Does this mean that demoncrats can no longer use black pulpits to preach their racism and anti-Americanism from? Because if it does we should sue a church blind in one eye for allowing a politician to use it's pulpit.

[Coleus]

bttt