Why Are We Trying to Silence the Churches?
It appears that the IRS has decided to ramp up efforts to shut down, and shut up, priests, clergy, rabbis, and anyone else who may have an opinion based upon the Word of God (oh yeah, and whose organizations may have been granted tax exempt status).
Read the Whole Article here.
"... Since 2004, the IRS has investigated more than 200 organizations, including All Saints Church in Pasadena. Two days before the 2004 presidential election, the Rev. George F. Regas, the church's former rector, delivered a guest sermon that pictured Jesus in a debate with George W. Bush and John Kerry. Although Regas didn't endorse a candidate, he said Jesus would have told Bush that his pre-emptive war policy "has led to disaster." The church drew national attention when the Rev. Ed Bacon, rector of All Saints, disclosed the IRS investigation and later said the agency believed the church had violated federal tax code barring tax-exempt organizations from intervening in political campaigns and elections..."
This leads me to believe that all future sermons may be limited to "sin is bad," or something like it.
It reminds me of something dear old Father McCarthy once said. He had been called in to the bishop's office for making a statement to the effect that it is a mortal sin to vote for a pro-abortion politician. To add insult to injury, the "politician" to which Father McCarthy referred was John F. Kerry. The bishop explained to Father McCarthy that if he continued to make such statements from the pulpit, the Church may lose its tax exempt status. Father McCarthy agreed that that may be the case, and also said that Jesus didn't "give a damn" about tax exempt status, and that HE never told him not to preach about politics.
We need more (many more) Father McCarthy's.
It appears that the IRS has decided to ramp up efforts to shut down, and shut up, priests, clergy, rabbis, and anyone else who may have an opinion based upon the Word of God (oh yeah, and whose organizations may have been granted tax exempt status).
Read the Whole Article here.
"... Since 2004, the IRS has investigated more than 200 organizations, including All Saints Church in Pasadena. Two days before the 2004 presidential election, the Rev. George F. Regas, the church's former rector, delivered a guest sermon that pictured Jesus in a debate with George W. Bush and John Kerry. Although Regas didn't endorse a candidate, he said Jesus would have told Bush that his pre-emptive war policy "has led to disaster." The church drew national attention when the Rev. Ed Bacon, rector of All Saints, disclosed the IRS investigation and later said the agency believed the church had violated federal tax code barring tax-exempt organizations from intervening in political campaigns and elections..."
This leads me to believe that all future sermons may be limited to "sin is bad," or something like it.
It reminds me of something dear old Father McCarthy once said. He had been called in to the bishop's office for making a statement to the effect that it is a mortal sin to vote for a pro-abortion politician. To add insult to injury, the "politician" to which Father McCarthy referred was John F. Kerry. The bishop explained to Father McCarthy that if he continued to make such statements from the pulpit, the Church may lose its tax exempt status. Father McCarthy agreed that that may be the case, and also said that Jesus didn't "give a damn" about tax exempt status, and that HE never told him not to preach about politics.
We need more (many more) Father McCarthy's.
posted by Madeline | 2:05 PM
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