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Loading ...Besen: Ax the tax-exemption from rebel churches
Earlier this month, I went to Alaska to counter Focus on the Family’s sexual engineering festival, Love Won Out, where they claim to help people pray away the gay.
The event became national news after Sarah Palin’s church was caught promoting the event. Everywhere I went, including her hometown of Wasilla, people were talking politics.The excitement of the election reached a fevered pitch when Palin made her long-awaited journey home. (presumably to check up on Russia to make sure they weren’t up to any funny business in her absence).
Yet when I went to the Metropolitan Community Church of Anchorage to speak, I refrained from endorsing political candidates. Now, as a political animal, I had the desire to bark out my choice for president. However, because I represented Truth Wins Out and spoke in a church that was also a tax-exempt organization, I refrained from engaging in illegal political activity.
As an individual, the first amendment gives me the right to speak my mind, including whom I will vote for president.
And, in my weekly column I have repeatedly expressed my preference for Barrack Obama.
However, I have never posted such columns on the Truth Wins Out website because I respect the law. In order for donors to get a tax break for giving to our charitable work, I make a pact with the government that I will not abuse this privilege by having taxpayers subsidize my political opinions or ambitions.
On Sunday, a band of radical churches brazenly decided they are owed special rights and don’t have to play by the same rules. Sponsored by the Arizona-based Alliance Defense Fund, 33 pastors in 22 states loudly trumpeted their support for John McCain within their church walls. In doing so, they defiled the law and openly defied the Internal Revenue Service.
According to the Associated Press, the ADF provided these renegade pastors with “legal assistance” to “ensure maximum effectiveness in challenging the IRS.” Armed with his legal brief, a suburban Milwaukee pastor, Rev. Luke Emrich, thundered to his New Life Church, “I’m telling you straight up, I would choose life…I would like to vote for John McCain and Sarah Palin.”
The IRS responded by saying that it “will monitor the situation and take appropriate action.” Well, the preachers have spoken and now their churches must be stripped of their tax-exempt status. To flout the rules so flagrantly can only be met with the maximum punishment. Letting these churches get away with such audacious behavior while forcing other non-profits to abide by the law is far worse than inequality. It is a gross violation of the constitution because it essentially establishes a state church with supremacy over civil society.
Now, I can understand why these holy men thought they could get away with such lawlessness. Under the Bush administration, religious organizations have been showered with undeserved faith-based money. And, thanks to ambitious politicians (Obama and Mccain) pandering for “values voters,” the wall between church and state has become rather porous.
I can also understand the allure of politics and gaining the ear of powerful leaders in Washington. It is certainly more enticing than speaking to the same flock each week and dealing with their marital problems.
Indeed, former Los Angles Lakers basketball star Magic Johnson once commented on the movie stars that would flock to watch his team by saying that they wanted to be him and he dreamed of being them. In much the same way, it seems politicians want to be preachers, while the preachers want to be politicians. So, they make periodic forays into each other’s universes.
But, this is a nation of laws. If these reverends are dissatisfied with their careers, they can run for office – as did former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee. However, they have no right to transform their churches into crass political machines at the expense of the taxpayer.
The American Bar Association ought to also consider slapping down lawyers at the ADF who are aiding and abetting this criminal activity. It is one thing to defend a client and quite another to organize this stunt less than two months before a presidential election. In my view, it seems that the ADF is urging churches to break the law to give McCain a last minute boost. Sure, these churches might get in trouble, but they figure it would be worth it to put McCain and Palin into the White House. This outrageous political ploy is unacceptable and must be stopped immediately.
In America, there should be no special privileges given to elitist clergy who think they are better than the rest of us. If they can’t play by the rules, they should be taken out of the game. The IRS should move swiftly to ax the tax exemption from these political action committees posing as churches.
I am amazed that I agree with you on anything at all, but on this I do. It is wrong for them to do that. These churches do have sufficient resources to set up ad hoc associations to do that sort of thing outside and far away from the sanctuary of the church. Church (the ecclesia) in its purest form is the people gathered with God as the audience. The churches function is to gather people together for that end, not to be a political educator for the particular bias of it’s leaders.
GMan, thank you for that reminder that christianity as practiced in the USA is completely unrelated to the teachings of Christ.
Sometimes forgotten in this topic is the fact that politcal candidates from many parties are invited to speak from the pulpits of many Protestant Churches on a regular basis during political campaign periods, the ministers offering these invitations flaunt their endorsements of specific candidates,and over the years there has been no questioning of this abuse of the puplit and the laws. Why not?
Jesus, save me from your followers!
Churches do not have an innate right to tax-exempt status. It is a privilege granted to them under the IRS code. The IRS has to have criteria for distinguishing between religious organizations, which are exempt under its code, and political advocacy organizations that are not. Because of the nature of churches (some don’t even have a formal corporate existence), they don’t have to apply for tax-exempt status, and this creates the illusion that they can get away with this outrage.
Churches can engage in political advocacy by forming separate non-profit corporations to do it. That is how denominations run political advocacy groups, hospitals, colleges, retreat centers, and political advocacy.
Readers should inform themselves about the provisions of the IRS code that govern tax exempt status. I don’t recall it off hand, but your indignation should give you the energy to find it. If any congregations in your area are doing this, you should call your local IRS office, report it, and request an investigation.
The megachurches are conspicuous, but by far and away, most churches have a congregation of about 100-150. They don’t have enough income to pay taxes even if they were taxable. The main effect of losing their tax exempt status is that donations would not be deductible and the members would have to refile their income taxes. I think it would be very therapeutic to put them through that exercise.
Churches who have no integrity need to learn it. The other churches don’t need any more bad publicity from them.
I write this as an ordained minister and the pastor of a mainline church.
GMan, nice to know you are here to represent the Village Idiot’s Union. You are a perfect example of why brothers and sisters shouldn’t marry. Go peddle your snake-oil primitive superstitions to those that care. Must be hell to realize your days are numbered and equality will overcome your prejudice and hatred. Maybe you should accept Jesus and remeber his teachings rather than worshipping Satan and calling it holy.
…and we get MORE proof of their zealotry right here. You whine about there not being enough religion in our country, then whine some more when you start breaking laws about church and state. Being a lawbreaker is worse than being immoral, IMHO. Did your precious Jesus preach hate? You all should be ashamed of yourselves for promoting discrimination when your own messiah said that all shall enter the gates of heaven. Go find another place to peddle your hate, ‘coz 365gay.com does NOT want it here!
Do I walk around on websites promoting my love of women? Sexuality is a preference, and if you folks didn’t feel that you had to justify it to anyone, you would just live your little lives and not cry about everything. Jesse Jackson and Rev Al Sharpton, I imagine they get tax exempt status too right? Hmm, i wonder what side of the political isle they stand? Lets see. So because Obama is ok with anything, gay, abortion, muslim terrorists, we should vote for him. No matter that him and his cronies started this downward spiral, by forcing banks to give loans to unqualified people, but he also is friends with known terrorists. William Ayers being one, and many others. But, because the way of the world is do what you want, nobody can judge you, lets just vote for a candidate because he is pro-gay but forget whether or not he truly loves his country and what this freedom stands for. Its silly, but you all are messed up deeper then your sexuality, its your whole ideology. You talk about elitists. King Obama is the king elitist, of course small town Americans hold on to their guns and religion with antipahty to those who are different right? But its cool for you folks to parade around in San Fransicko and other places, taking the rainbow that was a promise from God that He would never flood the earth again, and you disgrace it because you think it represents your frutiness. Do I walk around toting a flag and going to demenstrations with a flag that says, “I am straight.” No, its my prefernce, I keep it to myself. Bunch of cry babies, thats it. ANd mark my words, on judgement day, you will remember my post. You will know that someone has warned you. Laugh it all away while you buy the obama news, NBC, CNN, ABC, CBS, MSNBC. Stick to the most liberal, biased media ever. The year journalism died, 2008. But, its just the way the world is heading. Its the way because most of the ppl fighting for all those know their guilty and so they don’t want anyone to hold anything or anyone accountable. So whats next? A group wants rights to marry animals, we should let them right? Besides its not the governments jobs to authorize what is right or wrong in Gods eyes…. Of course, you may not believe in God, so you somehow think this doesn’t apply, but wrong answer. You cannot run from it. The mystery of life is death. We can fly to the moon, go anywhere, do anything, but we cannot communicate with anyone once they are gone. So tell me? Are you SO sure your way is right? I rather accept Jesus Christ and the gift He gave me and find out i was wrong, then deny God and find out those radical christians were right. Seperation of Church and State never meant the church couldn’t be involved in the public square either. It never meant that praying in school was wrong, or having a manger scene with baby Jesus during Christmas was unconstitutional. If thats the case, no more easter celebration, halloween, nothing. But of course, schools better higher gays as teachers and except the gay kids, or else you will all run to the defense of the sick and twisted ACLU, crybabies. Seperation of Church and state was so that the church couldn’t make the laws and prosecute the ppl for silly things like in the church of england. That is why the separitists broke away and came to this great land. Hmmmmm, weird that they all came here for religious freedom, to worship God without the government mandating it. That was the intent you wonderful history students. I am sure you will deny that most of the words of the decleration of independance were inspired from the Bible. America became great so quick and in such a short time was because we honored God as a country. But now everyone wants God out, and NOBODY can put two and two together because your raging boner takes precedence over anything. You folks are so blinded. I am not perfect, i take accountability for my actions. But your not doing actions, your living a continual lifestyle. Its sad, but the bible says the road to hell is wide and easy to travel, but the road to eternal life is narrow… So, walk the path you want, but if its only what you want, maybe its not what it should be.
Totally agree – lets start with Trinity United Church of Christ and Jeremiah Wright.
At this time of severe financial crises, there is no question that we should tax churches who are not abiding by the law. What can citizens do about this? How can we instigate getting them taxed?
Once a minister, preacher, priest or other religious leader begins sermonizing about politics, they have become a lobbyist who is performing political actions. If done at a church, synagogue, temple or other religious institution, then that organization becomes a political action committee. At that point, they need to be regulated as such.
Religious leaders, to remain religious, must only speak about the souls of their members, and how to get them into heaven, not Congress!
Politics and religion should remain disjoint and never spoken inthe same breath, else, we will have tyrants, and a tyranny of the majority running the government.
We know the results of that joint duality … the Roman Catholic Inquisition, the Spanish Inquisition, the Witch Hunts of Salem, the Taliban in Afghanistan, and the stealing the U.S. Elections of 2000 and 2004.
I’m all for religious institutions being able to fully speak out and endorse whomever they like—as long as they completely give up their tax-exempt status, of course. They can have one or the other, but not both. Likewise, a religious institution absolutely should not receive any federal funds for any program that discriminates.
I couldn’t agree more Wayne. These churches and many others should lose their tax-exempt status, however, I am doubtful that any of these organizations will be called to task. The lawyers encouraging these activities should be disbarred as well, but that too is unlikely. One thing I have learned in my lifetime is that the wealthy and affluent do not have to follow the same laws the rest of us do.
I disagree that these lawyers should be “slapped down” by the American Bar Association. We are a nation of laws, but if people were never given a chance to challenge those laws then the country would look very different than it does today. Give them a chance to challenge the law, I say – I hope they lose, but if they win, they should remember that all the liberal and moderate pastors will be free to speak too.
But how do we go about getting the IRS to look into it? Every single church that is pumping money into the Yes on Prop 8 campaign is also playing a political game at the taxpayers expense.
STOP THE HATE, VOTE NO ON 8