Pastors meeting in Washington were warned by officials from the Internal Revenue Service that there are some political activities that could jeopardize their churches’ tax-exempt status. IRS regional manager Peter Lorenzetti told the Faith Leaders Summit that that pastors in their official capacity are not permitted to endorse or oppose candidates, campaign for them, or make contributions to their campaigns. Pastors can, as private citizens, do these things.
Hogwash!
The First Amendment does not prohibit churches from speaking out on any issue including political ones, even if they are tax exempt. The amendment is so clear that liberals almost never cite it:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Rob Boston, Assistant Director of Communications for Americans United for Separation of Church and State and Assistant Editor of Church & State magazine, engages in similar constitutional fiction: “A church cannot link or direct people to an organization telling people how to vote. . . . All nonprofits, including churches, cannot endorse or oppose candidates. The IRS does warn nonprofits about linking to campaign-related websites.”
To prohibit a church from linking to any site for any reason is a violation of the First Amendment. Notice that the First Amendment gives everybody, churches included, the right to speak about religion, write about religion, congregate about religion, and “petition the government for a redress of grievances.”
Read More at godfatherpolitics.com. By Gary DeMar.
Photo Credit: bill.d (Creative Commons)
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the irs, better look close at the garbage churches of faracuna, and wright, then,………… the henchmen in our oval office,and that jackal holder telling all the black churches how to speak to their groups, so they will continue to support the commie/marxist radical,pos.
I’m not convinced they lied. Any church organization or any organization that has a 501c3 status is not allowed to endorse any political candidate or party. They really need to crack down on this designation as they are losing massive taxes and this would curtail radical ministers and race baiter organizations from getting this tax break. IRS has been ignoring this for years. Jessie and his Rainbow come to mind!!
Why were only Churches supporting Obama invited? And why are those opposing threatened with losing exempt status. There is a hue and cry from liberals to revoke the tax exempt status from Catholic Churches but I don’t see any of them calling for the same from the West-something-or-other Baptist Church for clearly making political statements at Rallies and Military Funerals.