Not If The Church Sticks To Preaching…

The former rector of a California Church is under investigation by the IRS for making political statements from the pulpit on the eve of the 2004 presidential election. The All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena had their former rector, Rev. George F. Regas, in and he said “I am not telling you how to vote” and then proceeded to talk against the Iraqi phase of the war on terror and about how bad Bush’s tax cuts were. Seems to me that this was a pretty obvious attempt at telling people how to vote though I am sure some of the moonbats would disagree.

What he did is like what the TSA screeners do at the airport. They say “you might want to take your shoes off” and you respond by saying your shoes never set off the machine to which they reply “but it might be best if you took them off” and after still not getting the hint you ask if it is required and they say no. Then when you go through they take you aside for the body cavity search. Now, one could argue that they never said you would get the search for not taking off the shoes but they sure gave plenty of clues. Same with Regas. He never said not to vote for Bush but he gave all the things he did not like that happened to be related to Bush.

I am particularly intrigued by a statement that the current man in charge, Rev Bacon, made; “There is a lot at stake here,” Bacon said. “If the IRS prevails, it will have a chilling effect on the practice of religion in America.” No sir, the IRS is investigating political statements made in a church. If you had been preaching about religion and not social issues or political opinions, especially the night before a national election, then the IRS would not be involved. You were not doing what you were supposed to and now you want to act like your rights are being trampled upon. I think that it is more accurate to say that a lot is at stake and if the IRS prevails it will have an effect on how churches express their political views. Stick to religion and you will not have problems.

I offer one more bit of advice. Rev Bacon, you folks are free to discuss all you want with regard to politics. You may talk it up and bash any candidate you want. You may do that as soon as you drop your claim of tax exemption. When you start paying taxes on all the money you take in then you will be free to discuss what you want from the pulpit. So long as you are not paying taxes then you will follow the rules and stick to discussing religion while in the church. NO attempt to deflect this on the IRS will change that fact.

One day Reverend, you and others will, along with the Dixie Chicks, will figure out that freedom of speech is not free. There are consequences associated with opening your mouth. The bimbos have not figured that out yet. I hope you do soon or you will be paying taxes, and a lot of them.

Source:
Breitbart

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7 Responses to “Not If The Church Sticks To Preaching…”

  1. Seth says:

    Liberals are superior in every way, they can break laws, defraud, lie, cheat, whatever they wish — it’s only the rest of us who have to concern ourselves with such picayune details as laws, morality and suchlike.

  2. I’ve got to disagree with you on this one. The Clinton administration tried the same thing on a megachurch in Indianapolis — and it was just as reprehensible.

    It’s got to work both ways, or not at all.

  3. Big Dog says:

    It is only reprehensible if the government goes after a church that is not involved in politics. If the Church is engaging in politics then they need to have tax exempt status removed, regardless of political party.

    I took the most exception to the idea that this endangers the church. I believe that political activism endangers the Church.

  4. Rosemary says:

    Big Dog, baby, you can’t be serious? Do you not know that it has been the Church that is the most responsible for our Revolutionary War, ending slavery, civil rights, etc?

    There is NO separation of Church of State. There is, however, a PROTECTION FROM the federal government coming in and telling them what they can and cannot say at anytime about anyone, as long as it was not sedition.

    I do not like what this Church did, but I hate even more the rights we have lost due to politics hacks that think THEY rule. They don’t. The Lord does. So there! (Still love ya, though. 😉 )

  5. Big Dog says:

    Rosemary, I think you have lost the focus of the post. The Church is free to say what it wants BUT it can not maintain tax exempt status if it uses the pulpit for politics. That is the law.

    Churches are considered non profit and are tax exempt. Just like the NAACP and other organizations they have to follow the rules. I do not care what they say I just beleive that if they are violating the law they need to lose their tax exempt status.

    I completely understand the First Amendment, obviously better than some of the politicians and the ACLU and its puppet judges. I know that the Church and its members have the right to say things but if they want to avoid taxes they have to follow the law.

    As for the Church’s history, all well documented. That does not negate the fact that they have to follow the law, regardless of whose politics they preach. I believe this applies to all churches and all political speech.

  6. The tension betweeen church and state goes all the way back to the Emperor Constantine. Every conservative screamed bloody murder when the Clinton administration tried to get backtaxes from Greg Dixon’s church in Indianapolis. You can’t have it both ways. The IRS keeps its hands off the church, and the church is free to be as political as it likes, liberal or conservative.

  7. Big Dog says:

    I don’t want it both ways and I screamed when the church was involved in politics, regardless of whose they espoused. I want to go to church to hear religion. If I want to hear politics I will go to the Congress.

    The fact is, we have a law and that law says that tax exempt organizations may not be involved in politics. The churches are free to engage in politics as soon as they give up the tax exemption.

    It is as simple as that and for the life of me I can not figure out why people can not see the logic of making organizations FOLLOW THE LAW.