- Joined
- Jun 11, 2009
- Messages
- 19,657
- Reaction score
- 8,454
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Libertarian
Iowa pastor preaches politics to oust 3 justices who backed gay marriage said:SIOUX CITY, Iowa (OtherUnrestricted) — The Rev. Cary K. Gordon has a prayer he recites as he campaigns against the three Iowa Supreme Court justices who are up for retention in next month's election.
"Dear God," he says, "please allow the IRS to attack my church, so I can take them all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court."
Gordon, an associate pastor at Cornerstone World Outreach in Sioux City, says he will defy federal law this month when he urges the congregation to vote to not retain the three justices, who participated in a unanimous ruling that allowed same-sex couples to wed. His mass mailing to 1,000 church leaders in September prompted one national religious liberty group to file a complaint with the Internal Revenue Service.
I'm not sure why this guy thinks that the Supreme Court would care. The tax exempt status for chuches is based in statute, not the constitution. By the constitution the US gov can tax any and all churches. The legislature was just kind enough to exempt churches if they stay out of politics. This guy and his church have the Constitutional right to say whatever they want, nobody is disputing that. They don't have a consitutional right to tax exempt status. That's a privilege granted to him by law so long as he hold up his side.
If this church can't play by the rules, strip them of their TE status and tax them to high heaven.
Do you feel the same regarding the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago (The President's home church)?
As it is being portrayed, the tax-exemption looks like simply a bribe to keep churches silent about politics.
I'm not sure why this guy thinks that the Supreme Court would care. The tax exempt status for chuches is based in statute, not the constitution. By the constitution the US gov can tax any and all churches. The legislature was just kind enough to exempt churches if they stay out of politics. This guy and his church have the Constitutional right to say whatever they want, nobody is disputing that. They don't have a consitutional right to tax exempt status. That's a privilege granted to him by law so long as he hold up his side.
Churches should be paying taxes no matter what they do.
2. The more taxes churches have to pay, the less they have available for charity and outreach programs. Churches in my home town run soup kitchens, homeless shelters, crisis family shelters for abused women/children, food banks for the poor, after-school programs for 'at risk' children, etc etc etc. How much of that would be lost?
Probably a lot.
You'd (speaking generically, here) have to ask yourself what sort of phonies/a-holes are running the church and providing these services if they're willing to risk it all to break the law and play politics.
The more they're willing to risk, the quicker you should join a new church.
Exactly. The church, synagogue or mosque that attempts to combine itself with the state should be shut down and a true church, synagogue, or mosque can be invited to take its place for as long as they adhere to the Constitutionally mandated separation of church and state.
There are not any mandated breaks for evening prayer for Muslims at County Commission meetings. When there are, the lack of punishing religions for acting outside their bounds will be really painfully obvious.
It must be stopped for all religions well before then.
Regards from Rosie
When you can prove that the 1st Amendment prohibits religious organizations from speaking on the subject of politics, you'll have a point. Until then, no.
I had this odd notion that freedom of speech applies to everyone... even preachers.
Why can other non-profit organizations endorse political candidates and not churches? I'm personally against churches endorsing a candidate, but I think they should have the right to do it like other non-profits.
That's abusing the separation of church and state. It doesn't mean churches cannot take political stands or endorse candidates. It means a church cannot govern or run for election.
our Constitution says that Congress cannot comment on religion, it says nothing about religion not commenting on Congress.
Absolutely. Any church that abandons being a church and takes up politics should be stripped of TE status.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?