2008 Woodie Awards
Thou shalt not politick
Issue date: 10/3/08 Section: Opinion
Depending on your outlook, churches can be places to worship and receive moral guidance, or they can be indoctrination centers whose ideals are out of touch with that guy who looks like Ted Nugent. Of course, your feelings on churches may vary; they need not align with either of those sentiments. How you feel about them can fall somewhere else entirely.
But how would you feel if you walked into church one day and someone behind the pulpit told you more than Scriptural stories and real-world anecdotes? What if someone hinted or outright told you that being a good Christian meant voting for Candidate X rather than Candidate Y?
That's just what pastors across the country did last Sunday. Thirty-three pastors in 22 states stood behind their pulpits and endorsed one presidential candidate over another, with varying degrees of subtlety.
The pastors, backed by conservative think tank Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), voiced their political views to test an IRS tax code which grants federal income tax exemption to religious organizations, among other types of organizations. The catch is that these religious organizations (churches, mosques, synagogues, temples, etc.) lose their tax-exempt status if they campaign for any political candidate running for public office.
Just so there's no confusion, let's get down to brass tacks. The law is known as 501(3)(c) under the Internal Revenue Code. Any organization which agrees to the law to receive tax exemption is "absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office," according to the law.
The law goes on to say that "public statements of position (verbal or written) made on behalf of the organization in favor of, or in opposition to, any candidate for public office" is a clear violation that would revoke tax-exempt status.
The political preaching took place at churches in Texas, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Georgia, South Carolina and several other states. The messages varied. One pastor in Wisconsin told his congregation, "I would cast a vote for John McCain and Sarah Palin, but it's your choice to make, it's not my choice."
But how would you feel if you walked into church one day and someone behind the pulpit told you more than Scriptural stories and real-world anecdotes? What if someone hinted or outright told you that being a good Christian meant voting for Candidate X rather than Candidate Y?
That's just what pastors across the country did last Sunday. Thirty-three pastors in 22 states stood behind their pulpits and endorsed one presidential candidate over another, with varying degrees of subtlety.
The pastors, backed by conservative think tank Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), voiced their political views to test an IRS tax code which grants federal income tax exemption to religious organizations, among other types of organizations. The catch is that these religious organizations (churches, mosques, synagogues, temples, etc.) lose their tax-exempt status if they campaign for any political candidate running for public office.
Just so there's no confusion, let's get down to brass tacks. The law is known as 501(3)(c) under the Internal Revenue Code. Any organization which agrees to the law to receive tax exemption is "absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office," according to the law.
The law goes on to say that "public statements of position (verbal or written) made on behalf of the organization in favor of, or in opposition to, any candidate for public office" is a clear violation that would revoke tax-exempt status.
The political preaching took place at churches in Texas, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Georgia, South Carolina and several other states. The messages varied. One pastor in Wisconsin told his congregation, "I would cast a vote for John McCain and Sarah Palin, but it's your choice to make, it's not my choice."
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