Church Says Don't Vote for Obama

http://lastresistance.com/41/church-says-dont-vote-for-obama/

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September 12, 2012 byGary DeMar

Church Says Don’t Vote for Obama

Filed under 2012 Election, Government Control, Religion

360 Comments

Americans United for Separation of Church and State reported St. Raphael Catholic Church, a Roman Catholic Church in El Paso, Texas, “to the Internal Revenue Service after the church allegedly ran a notice in its bulletin that encouraged parishioners not to vote for President Barack Obama in the upcoming election.”

Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, tried to intimidate church officials by claiming “federal law prohibits tax exempt, non-profit organizations (including houses of worship) from intervening in elections like this.” By citing “federal law” instead of the First Amendment, Lynn is engaged in a bit of legal sleight of hand.

The First Amendment does not prohibit churches from speaking out on any issue including political ones, even if they are tax exempt. The amendment is so clear that liberals almost never cite it:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

Rob Boston, Assistant Director of Communications for Americans United for Separation of Church and State and Assistant Editor of Church & State magazine, engages in similar constitutional fiction: “A church cannot link or direct people to an organization telling people how to vote. . . . All nonprofits, including churches, cannot endorse or oppose candidates.”

Notice that the First Amendment gives everybody, churches included since there are no exceptions listed, the right to speak about religion, write about religion, congregate about religion, and “petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

Intimidating churches has been going on for a long time. Lynn has been monitoring the content of Sunday sermons since 2004. If these self-appointed snitches don’t like what they hear, that is, if what a pastor says is “too political” and contrary to their liberal political agenda, they will send video and audio tapes to the IRS for investigation. If enough churches challenged the supposed prohibitions, the IRS wouldn’t know what to do. At the moment, the fear factor is enough to keep churches in check.

There are no constitutional prohibitions against churches speaking out on political issues or endorsing candidates. We got into this mess when in 1954 a law was rammed through Congress by then-Senator Lyndon Johnson to restrict churches from speaking freely on topics they have addressed for nearly two millennia. The following is from the IRS:

“The ban on political campaign activity by charities and churches was created by Congress more than a half century ago. The Internal Revenue Service administers the tax laws written by Congress and has enforcement authority over tax-exempt organizations. Here is some background information on the political campaign activity ban and the latest IRS enforcement statistics regarding its administration of this congressional ban.
“In 1954, Congress approved an amendment by Sen. Lyndon Johnson to prohibit 501(c)(3) organizations, which includes charities and churches, from engaging in any political campaign activity. To the extent Congress has revisited the ban over the years, it has in fact strengthened the ban. The most recent change came in 1987 when Congress amended the language to clarify that the prohibition also applies to statements opposing candidates.”

This so-called ban is a direct violation of the First Amendment. The First Amendment states, “Congress shall make no law. . . .” In 1954, Congress made a law prohibiting churches from speaking out on political issues and endorsing candidates. The logic is simple. Since Congress passed such a law, then Congress violated the Constitution. This makes the law null and void.

If you are a pastor who believes in the freedoms outlined in the First Amendment and want to challenge these leftist organizations and the IRS, then I have a deal for you. The Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian legal advocacy group, will defend you.

“In response to more than 50 years of threats and intimidation by activist groups wielding the Johnson Amendment as a sword against the Church, ADF began the Pulpit Initiative in 2008. The goal of the Pulpit Initiative is simple: have the Johnson Amendment declared unconstitutional — and once and for all remove the ability of the IRS to censor what a pastor says from the pulpit.

“ADF is actively seeking to represent churches or pastors who are under investigation by the IRS for violating the Johnson Amendment by preaching biblical Truth in a way that expresses support for — or opposition to — political candidates. ADF represents all of its clients free of charge.”

Don’t be bullied. It’s time to take a stand for Jesus Christ. Your future and the future of your children are at stake. If you want more information, go to the Alliance Defending Freedom site at http://speakupmovement.org/church/LearnMore/details/4702

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