DISQUS

Larry Linn · 1 year ago

Think about it. Religion has actually convinced people that there’s an invisible man living in the sky who watches everything you do, every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever ’til the end of time! But He loves you. He loves you, and He needs money! He always needs money! He’s all-powerful, all-perfect, all-knowing, and all-wise, somehow just can’t handle money! Religion takes in billions of dollars, they pay no taxes, and they always need a little more. Now, you talk about a good bulls*%t story. Holy s*#^!”

Erik Stanley · 1 year ago

Since news about the Alliance Defense Fund’s Pulpit Initiative broke, many mischaracterizations have cropped up that need dispelling.

The Pulpit Initiative is a legal effort designed to protect the First Amendment rights of pastors in the pulpit. The initiative is not a demand that pastors endorse candidates. The plan would allow churches to decide for themselves how to exercise their First Amendment rights on the subject without fearing the tax man.

Tax exemption of churches is not a benefit but a right under the Constitution. As the U.S. Supreme Court has noted, the power to tax involves the power to destroy, and churches are exempt from taxation under the principle that there is no surer way to destroy religion than to begin taxing it.

Yet a rule in the tax code has been used to silence the church since 1954. That’s when then-Sen. Lyndon Johnson introduced it to silence some non-profit groups who were opposing his re-election to the Senate. Scholars attest to the fact that the “Johnson Amendment” wasn’t intended to restrict the speech of churches, but it has been used for that purpose. Those groups that howl the most about the so-called “separation of church and state” talk out of both sides of their mouth when they argue that the IRS has the right to monitor a pastor’s sermon.

The Pulpit Initiative is not a demand that a church discuss candidate positions. The point is that it’s up to the church to decide. Government violation of First Amendment rights is not the answer.

Erik Stanley
Senior Legal Counsel
Alliance Defense Fund

Robert Rowley, Tucson, Arizona · 1 year ago

The complete fact of the matter is this. A 501 c3 religious tax exemption is not a right. It is something applied for and possibly granted. When a church applies for a 501 c3 status they go into it knowing what the rules are. Therefore, either accept the rules of that for which you are applying or do not have it. If you cannot agree to the rules of a 501c3 then you shall not have the exemption.

IRS, please do your duty, uphold the law, and if these churches preach politics from the pulpit, PLEASE revoke their tax exempt status immediately!

Wildflower · 1 year ago

I wouldn't mind if some churches politicized the pulpit and lost their tax exemption.
Looking around the neighborhoods, you see that churches occupy some PRIME real estate.
I'd be happy to have them sharing the property tax burden with the rest of us.