How can the IRS tell the church what to say about speaking out?
I thought we lived in the United States. Well how can the IRS tell priests, bishops, ministers, that they cannot use their pulpits for speaking out against or for a political candidate.
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Yeah, they are so persecuted. Those damn North Koreans have it so easy.
Separation of church and state. It’s in the constitution.
Oh they can.
But they will lose their tax exempt status as a church and be registered for what they really are – a branch of a political party.
Because they are tax exempt, so they have to follow the rules.
Priests, pastors,bishops, ministers are all voters too. They have just as much of a right to speak about the election just like anyone else
Because that is what they agreed to in exchange for being tax
exempt.
These are the same rules that govern all non-taxable charitable
organizations, and the mere fact that certain ones have a religious
aspect shouldn’t allow them to act any differently than secular
charities.
If they don’t like the restrictions, then they can change their 501(c)3
status any time they like, and in doing so lessen the tax burden on
the rest of us.
Because they can as speaking politically from the pulpit might violate the establishment and free exercise clauses in the Constitution.
They can’t tell them what they may say, but if they speak out, they have gone from a tax-exempt church to a taxable political organization.
You got it backwards. ‘Churches’ can say anything they want. It’s just that the moment they become political, they are in it for the money, not the religion. And they lose their tax-exempt status.
Ever hear of the separation of church and state, genius? If you want to keep your tax exempt gravy train rolling along you’ll keep politics out of your churches. Simple as that.