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November 08, 2005

Keep your religion out of your politics. And mine too.

Yesterday afternoon while commuting from liberal agenda to liberal agenda, I listened to the appealing yet loquacious Ed Schultz on his radio program. Schultz took a call from a Methodist minister that I found particularly interesting.

The minister was calling to remark on this church which may lose it's IRS tax exempt status because of anti Iraq War commentary from the pulpit:

The Internal Revenue Service has warned one of Southern California's largest and most liberal churches that it is at risk of losing its tax-exempt status because of an antiwar sermon two days before the 2004 presidential election.

Rector J. Edwin Bacon of All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena told many congregants during morning services Sunday that a guest sermon by the church's former rector, the Rev. George F. Regas, on Oct. 31, 2004, had prompted a letter from the IRS.

In his sermon, Regas, who from the pulpit opposed both the Vietnam War and 1991's Gulf War, imagined Jesus participating in a political debate with then-candidates George W. Bush and John Kerry. Regas said that "good people of profound faith" could vote for either man, and did not tell parishioners whom to support.

But he criticized the war in Iraq, saying that Jesus would have told Bush, "Mr. President, your doctrine of preemptive war is a failed doctrine. Forcibly changing the regime of an enemy that posed no imminent threat has led to disaster."

The minister called Ed to defend the ability of churches to preach politics from the pulpit. Her main point was that the church is one of the few voices for the poor. Without the church using it's ability to influence politics from the pulpit, the poor would have little or no advocates for them with government.

I understand the minister's point. It's true that there are very few advocates for the poor, especially in political circles. Nowadays politics seems to be the providence of the rich who are able to line campaign coffers..and wine/dine our representatives. I sympathize with the needs and wants of churches to give a voice to the voiceless.

However, when a church advocates for (or works against) specific political candidates and political causes, their tax exempt status ought to be revoked.

It's imperative that this nation NOT allow theocratic tendencies to become a part of the norm in politics and government. History proves time and again that theocratic governments are tyrannical, oppressive and antithetical to democratic values. Even with the best of intentions, churches must remain outside of advocating for specific political causes and issues.

This is not to say that individuals (even those who work for a church) would jeopardize the church's tax exempt status by involving themselves in political issues/candidates outside of their church activities and resources. I certainly don't think that should be the case. But for a church to do it...it's never okay.

Of course the IRS is quite clearly not applying the tax exempt revocation in an even handed, equitable manner. I've not seen threats like this levied at those churches who were quite literally forcing congregants to support and vote for Bush or leave the church. But that's a different blog post.

Posted by Carla at November 8, 2005 09:01 AM