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Wayne Besen
PO Box 25491
Brooklyn, NY 11202
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.
24 Comments:
I've been calling for all removing religious denominations' tax exempt status for years. If there is separation of religion from state, then why does government grant them exemption anyway? Religion is a choice, a lifestyle, even a hobby for some. Many of them own real estate, have investments, so why should they be treated differently than any other commodity. Why should our tax dollars support faith-based organizations many of which discriminate against us? This is beyond hypocrisy. Let the parasites and their cults pay their share of taxes once and for all if they want to have their say in politics, just like the rest of us.
posted by Anonymous, at
9/30/2008 5:38 AM
What these simpletons can't seem to understand is that everyone, including these pastors themselves, is entitled to free speech, but NOT tax-payer subsidy of that speech. It's very simple.
posted by Anonymous, at
9/30/2008 1:21 PM
Hi! Writing from Latvia (American ex-pat). If the radical right "Christians" in America believe that they can ignore science, logic and common sense and "conclude" that the earth is 7,000 years old, and dinosaurs helped to build the Egyptian pyramids ("No, Dino! Down! Down, Dino!"), then it is absolutely no surprise that they also feel that they can ignore American law. I would like to hope that they will be prosecuted vigorously and that their tax-exempt status will be withdrawn (and, for that matter, that they will be put in stocks and pelted with vegetable matter), but in Bush's America I don't believe it. And that is why I have trumpeted my support for Obama from every hill and in every valley. McPander would be a third term for the absolutely worst president the United States has ever had. Shrieking Christian Fascist Palin would be an utter disaster for a country in which church is still at least theoretically separate from bloody state. I recommend that readers go over to www.economist.com/vote2008 and see what the world thinks of the presidential race. This is a poll which gives the world's countries "electoral college" votes in accordance with their size -- five for Latvia, 1,990 for China, etc. Right now Obama is leading McCain by 8,414 electoral votes to ... three. Yes, three. I know that the Bush/Darth Cheney administration doesn't give a flying fig about what the rest of the world thinks of it, but God save America if McPander is elected.
posted by Kārlis Streips, at
9/30/2008 1:21 PM
This is nothing new, these fundo churches have been getting away with this since bush took office; and any time a progressive *real* Christian church spoke out against the war, violence and bloodshed (what Christ would have taught), the republican goon squads swooped in and threatened their tax exempt status. (BTW, I know more than a few churchgoers who think they *should* pay taxes). I dont know why these evangelical ministers think they need to do this anyway, dont they know the mindless drones in their congregations will vote republican anyway!
posted by Anonymous, at
9/30/2008 1:27 PM
I suggest looking at this for the best thoughtful analysis of the subject
posted by Anonymous, at
9/30/2008 2:33 PM
Churches should be separate and support themselves. Politicking from the pulpit is just wrong and what idiot goes to church to hear that??
posted by Anonymous, at
9/30/2008 3:17 PM
Churches need to stay the hell out of politcis, conservative or liberal. The fundies seem to be the worst at this, though, and they need to lose their tax exemption for meddling where they have no business being.
posted by Anonymous, at
9/30/2008 4:34 PM
I agree with Robert. Churches should pay their fair share in taxes. Since churches are profit oriented businesses, the money that they collect shouldn't be tax exempt.
posted by libhom, at
9/30/2008 9:07 PM
What gets me...?? Is - who is the fool who goes to church for pol.itics instead of salvation?
posted by Anonymous, at
9/30/2008 9:07 PM
This reminds me of something comedian "George Carlin" said in one his stand up rutines is there should be seperation of Church & state, one or the other f**ks you up and if you put them togather you have certain death.
posted by Anonymous, at
9/30/2008 10:08 PM
Mmmmmm. State affairs are important and so is religion but keep in mind that when you protect the constitution and serve the public welfare - that means everyone - not just those who see things your way. Religion or faith is a private matter.
posted by Anonymous, at
10/05/2008 6:16 PM
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