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Below is a copy of an e-mail I received from the ACLJ concerning the efforts of the Americans United for the Separation of Church and State (Americans United for Communism ;-), "Humble Howard" Dean and others to stop our Priests, Pastors, Ministers and others from silencing our churches on speaking out on issues of Morality and other issues of the day, which any church should have the freedom to discuss without fear of losing their tax-exempt status. This Petition supports H.R. 235, the "Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act." The ACLJ is not asking for donations to sign this...

Reprinted from NewsMax.com Monday, Dec. 5, 2005 10:30 a.m. EST House Eyes IRS Rules on Religious Speech Support is building in the House of Representatives to lift IRS restrictions banning political speech from the pulpit. The Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act, also known as HR 235, would give clergy the freedom to discuss politics with their congregations without putting their church's tax exempt status in jeopardy. Rep. Walter B. Jones, who sponsored the measure, has picked up 165 co-sponsors for his legislation, with House Speaker Denny Hastert and Majority Leader Tom DeLay said to be sympathetic. Under the...

The Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act, also known as HR 235, would give clergy the ability to discuss politics with their congregations without fear of response from the Federal government. Prior to 1954, clergy were allowed to speak freely about political issues but today they always have the threat of a response from the IRS. This bill may come to the forefront due to the recent case involving All Saints Episcopal Church in Los Angeles. They are being investigated by the IRS and may lose their tax-exemption status because of speech given by a guest speaker last year,...

Local clergy don't show the same support as U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn on legislation that would allow politics to be mentioned in church sermons without fear of losing tax-exempt status. Many church leaders from the Cherokee County area are not in favor of "The Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act," H.R. 235, which Coburn claims would help preserve "our freedom." Coburn expressed his strong support of the bill, written by U.S. Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., and said Americans are required "to defend the right of moral and spiritual leaders to speak out on issues of justice and morality without...

Pastors or other church leaders could use their pulpits to endorse political candidates under a controversial bill backed by U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan. Currently, if churches make endorsements they can jeopardize their tax-exempt status. "This bill will finally lift the fear and anxiety from houses of worship that seek to speak out on issues that affect the local community and our nation," Brownback said during a recent Capitol Hill press conference. The bill would allow pastors and ministers to endorse candidates, but churches still would be prohibited from spending money on a candidate's campaign if they want to retain...

Returning freedom of speech to our nation's Houses of Worship.HR 235 was introduced to liberate clergy from the muzzle imposed by the absolute ban on all speech that may be regarded as "political," and thereby enable them to speak out on all vital and moral and political questions of the day. It will free houses of worship from the fear and anxiety and uncertainty created by the threat that the IRS will impose financial penalties or revoke tax-exempt status altogether. KEY POINTSTo Understanding the Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act Above all else, HR 235 is about recognizing the...

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...

Many of you are probably already aware that for the last 50 years freedom of speech in America's churches has been stifled. Thanks to a new bill gaining support in the House of Representatives, that may change. In 1954 Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson championed an amendment to the IRS Code that banned any place of worship from overtly supporting a political candidate. The punishment for such a heinous crime was, and is, the loss of tax-exempt status. Originally voted down last October, the "Houses of Worship Political Speech Protection Act" (H.R. 235) hopes to remove the free speech restrictions placed...

Restore Freedom of Speech to America's Pulpits ISSUE: Ever heard of the First Amendment?Apparently, it doesn't apply if you're in church. There are limits to what your preacher can say from the pulpit -- limits placed there by the government. Now, a bill introduced in Congress seeks to change the law. If a church speaks out on issues that the IRS deems to be too political, it risks losing its tax-exempt status. But the "Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act" (H.R. 235) would repeal the authority of the Internal Revenue Service to revoke the tax status of a church,...

Houses of Worship Free Speech Act Must Be Passed! Summary: North Carolina Congressman Walter Jones (R) is pushing for passage of H.R. 235, the Houses of Worship Free Speech Act. He currently has 120 co-sponsors. Congressman Walter Jones (R-NC) is urging passage of H.R. 235, a bill that will overturn an injustice that has been done to pastors since 1954. That year, then-Senator Lyndon Johnson inserted language into the IRS code that restricted what pastors could say on political issues from the pulpit. Johnson added this language to seek revenge upon conservatives in his state who opposed his re-election. Rev....