In any case, the Ohio Restoration Project plan as written is fraught with the likelihood that churches or other tax exempt organizations could stray well over the lines drawn by the IRS. It may very well be that this is intentional. There is a similar effort underway in Texas to recruit and mobilize "patriot pastors." Interestingly, Focus on the Family is promoting this effort, and an article in its magazine suggests possible collusion with the Republican Party.These kinds of blatant breaches of the wall separating church and state may begin spreading to the Democratic party. I've heard one Democrat in Oklahoma, worried that Republicans are organizing within evangelical churches in his district, talk about organizing churches himself. His suggestion was not well received by the audience to which I heard him speak. There is no way of knowing how his proposal will be received at other venues or even how it will be received at the same venue at another time.
"Internal data from the Republican National Committee shows that an estimated 40 percent of Christians -- that?s about 24 million people -- are not registered to vote. Considering that just over 100,000 votes enabled four pro-choice candidates for the U.S. Senate to defeat pro-life candidates, church voter registration is a key force in changing our nation?s future."
Christian Right attorney Matt Staver is quoted in the article claiming that no church has ever lost its 501(c)(3) tax status over electoral work. While this is not so, available evidence suggests that this election cycle will see a further pushing the envelope of non-profit tax abuse by Christian Right groups fronting for Republican candidates for office.
Democrats are currently in the same situation that moderate Baptists faced in the early 1980's. Though they deplored political organizing within the Convention, they decided they either had to organize themselves or give the convention to the Fundamentalists without opposition. Baptists Committed and eventually the Mainstream Baptist Network grew out of the decision to organize.
The stakes were high in the SBC, but not as high as they will be for our country. Moderate Baptists were free to leave the SBC and find fellowship in a new organization of Baptists. Few Democrats contemplate leaving the USA. Should religious ideologies be infused into the politics of both parties, our religious animosities will increase, conflicts will broaden, and resolving differences will become more bitter than anything this country has witnessed since the civil war.
This is precisely what the First Amendment was designed to prevent.
4 comments:
I read both articles by Clarkson and they were very illuminating. They are well organized, what a pity that the American Public can be so gullable as to swallow their lies hook line and sinker. But then it was Reagan in 1984 that went to the public relations group planning his re-election campaign and said, "I heard you were planning on selling a can of peas, thought you'd like to see the can."
Howard Dean is the only one right now for the Democrats who has the cajones to stand up and state the obvious. Notice how the Republican smear campaign has made the rest of the Democrats turn tail and run like frightened rabbits.
Dr. Prescot I stumbled on your blog, and I will keep reading. I'm a Baptist minister in Virginia who blogs in attempt to get out the idea that not all Baptist's think the same way as Jerry Falwell does. Keep it up, and I'll keep reading.
from Sally4th: I thought the first amendment was only meant to prevent a state sponsored religion, so I went back and read it. I was right. There is nowhere I can see that even hints that Christians, or anyone else, cannot campaign for anyone they choose. The Democrats have gone into churches to make campaign speeches during all the elections I can remember.This Baptist believes this is smoke and mirrors. Don't we have enough real problems to deal with?
Sally,
The problem lies in tax law more than with the First Amendment.
Money contributed to churches can be deducted from federal income taxes.
Money contributed to political parties and candidates cannot be deducted from federal income taxes.
When churches become extensions of political parties and candidates' campaigns, those parties and candidates are being subsidized by all tax payers -- an unfair advantage over candidates who do not base their campaigns in churches.
Churches are either going to have to relinquish tax exemptions for their contributions or else tax exemptions should be granted for all political contributions.
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