Washougal resident Anne Haller believes all citizens should be concerned about the growing trend of pastors giving explicit voting advice to their congregations
Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are those of the author alone and do not reflect the editorial position of ClarkCountyToday.com
It’s time for politically active churches to lose their tax-exempt status.
All citizens should be concerned about the growing trend of pastors giving explicit voting advice to their congregations. This practice undermines the separation of church and state and is in direct conflict with their tax-exempt status.
The principle of separation of church and state is a cornerstone of our democracy, designed to ensure that religious institutions do not wield undue influence over political affairs. Pastors using their pulpits to recommend specific candidates or political parties, are blurring the line between religious guidance and political campaigning. This is unconstitutional and in direct violation of their tax-exempt status.
Religious organizations benefit from tax-exempt status under the condition that they refrain from participating in political campaigning. The IRS guidelines: are clear: tax-exempt organizations, cannot endorse or oppose political candidates. This misuse of their platform should lead to rejection of their tax-exempt status.
Pastor’s Pick is a national organization driving this effort. Local churches are distributing a complete list of recommended WA candidates to their congregations. If they want to do that, they should pay taxes like any other business. Let’s stop pretending that religious leaders don’t have a political agenda.
People look to their religious leaders for moral advice now they’re getting their ballot choices from them too. This is not what the founders of our country intended and it’s not what the church’s monies should be spent on unless they are willing to pay taxes to the city, county, state and country. Let’s keep church and state separate.
Anne Haller
Washougal
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The right to free speech is what the founders intended and set forth and what you are proposing violates that right.
You are referring to a law put in place in 1954, where the Johnson amendment was quietly tucked into a sweeping IRS tax law with no special debate or vote.
Wanna know why the IRS rarely goes after any groups for violations? Because they know it’s unconstitutional and it’s more effective in place and unenforced than pursued with great risk of being abolished by the courts.
I’m curious, are there other groups of people you don’t like that should be silenced and censored? I bet there are.
Rob,
Johnson specifically put that “amendment” in the backdoor because he was one of the MOST corrupt politicians in this Country at that time. The Churches in Texas (mostly Southern Baptists) all knew what a snake he was and spoke out about him and his corruption in their Sunday sermons and family gatherings. This, of course, was nothing different from anything most Churches had and were doing since the founding of this Country, but it sorely vexed Johnson. So, to shut up the criticisms from the Churches exposing what a snake he really was, he got this “amendment” passed to punish them.
The reason the IRS usually doesn’t go after Churches and Pastors that speak out, unless they are LDS, is because the IRS doesn’t want it to come out that the income tax “amendment” was fraudulently passed.. just sayin’….
And yeah, Miz Haller does seem to have a problem with people voicing opinions she doesn’t like…..maybe she would be happier in China or North Korea?
YES!!!! We agree!!! No matter how this became law, its the law!!
We are slowly becoming a LAWLESS country with our elected officials trying to stomp on any law they don’t agree with for example Jan 6th.
If you don’t like the law, change the law!
Churches should be paying taxes if they want to play politics!
The REAL reason the IRS doesn’t actively go after churches: Church audits are few because of a massive reduction in the IRS workforce. According to an IRS report, “The IRS lost more than 29,618 full time positions between [fiscal year] 2010 and [fiscal year] 2019.”
FYI: Can you report a church to the IRS for being political?
If you believe that a church has violated the IRS rules for tax exempt organizations by engaging in partisan speech, supporting political candidates, and/or directing a substantial part of its activities to lobbying, you may report this violation to us and we will take action.
Having opinions that are congruent with the Bible and teaching us to live them, is the REASON Churches exist! To be forced to shut up about them is equivalent wiping them out- which I perceive is your goal. The Soviets, Mao, Castro and many other have done this- you are not original in your hate and efforts to control others. It ended up harming everyone in those places and would do so here.
The separation of church and state is not embodied in the Constitution. Various Supreme Court cases (before its current corrupt composition) have clarified that religion may be practiced as long as.it does not include criminal behavior. Church officials endorsing Trump, although he is a convicted criminal, are not engaging in criminal behavior and, as other letters write, are legitimately exercising their right to free speech.
Ms. Haller is correct in stating that said political activity violates IRS codes. If a church or other charitable organizations are registered and seeking tax exempt status under Internal Revenue Service 501 (c)(3), the rule states “it may not be an action organization, i.e., it may not attempt to influence legislation as a substantial part of its activities and it may not participate in any campaign activity for or against political candidates.” Ergo, such churches are violating the law.
Ms Haller seems ignorant of our Constitution, Bill of Rights, and even the purpose of non-profits. Nowhere do our founding legal documents deny Christians, pastors, or Churches the right to opinions and free speech on significant issues of our time. The fact that these are currently labelled “political” doesn’t change any of that. If Ms Haller read a Bible, she would quickly see that it is full of judgments, advice, and rulings on justice, leadership, business, morality, sexuality, family, war, economy, health, and all the things the State tries to co-opt for itself entirely. If Ms Haller has ever read US history she knows the Church was always vocal and involved in important issues of the day. Her hostility to the Church doesn’t make them the exception to any other non-profit or group, to be singled out for oppression; Stalin already did that. Rules exist about endorsing one candidate or another in an election cycle, although liberal churches often do that openly. Other than that, ALL these matters are addressed in the Bible, which is the founding document for Christian churches. We have the right to decide how we will live and believe and also have rights to speak about it as well as anyone else in the US.
AMEN, sister LK!
Who is Washougal resident Anne Haller? Is she an atheist church spy? Church people do have the right to vote even pastors. Most churches have conservative values and vote republican. So what? Pastors don’t have to tell you who to vote for, church people would follow their moral compas and follow their conservative views.
Reminding people to vote is crucial. Some churches don’t vote and give their freedoms away. My prayer leader doesn’t vote, but I do!
Ms Haller do you realize how many politicians, big corporations, and elitists don’t pay taxes? Audit Bill Gates. Private civilians and illegal border crossers don’t either. Do you realize we are the slaves to our fascist government which doesn’t follow the constitution or work for us? Isn’t it the law to follow the constitution? That was thrown out with the Federal Reserve creation.
I know of a Black church in CA; the government gave them money during covid to shut down and food to give away during the covid mandates. They got the freebies only if they all took the clot jabs. Eighteen members have died so far, and many are vaccine injured.
Clark County Health official Dr. Melnick got a million dollars to study racism in health care. Why don’t you audit Melnick? Google racism in health care. He hasn’t come up with anything yet. But, at last month’s health board meeting, the chairman claimed, “There was NO mandates in Clark County! “People lost their lives, businesses and homes because of their lie to scare and coercing people into taking the clot jabs. Melnick never told the cures available. They created staff shortages in hospitals, police and fire departments because of their cohering everyone to be a lab rat in the experimental gene therapy killer jabs.
Ms Haller do you realize how many politicians and elitists don’t pay taxes? Audit Bill Gates. Private civilians and illegal border crossers don’t either. Do you realize we are the slaves to our fascist government, which doesn’t follow the constitution? Freedom of speech has slipped away.
Ms. Haller do you want a One World Government under the Chinese? Why did the government sell large portions of land to China and Bill Gates? Hillary Clinton sold uranium to Russia. Is that OK? The Democrats will fulfill your wish. Learn Chinese!
Look up http://www.Children‘sHealthDefense.org there is one in Washington, too. Big pharma put 25% more Glyphosate in the MMR shots for Blacks. Look up Dr.Judy Mikovits on Telegram. Read about the vaccines that were more toxic to Blacks. Fluoride causes cancer, lowers IQs and together with chloramine leaches lead from water pipes. Low-income Blacks have more lead poisoning because the government has poisoned our water. Children aren’t being taught reading and math in public schools.
Leave Paster’s Choice alone. That Pastor may have more autistic and learning-disabled members which need help understanding politics. In my opinion, you sound racist going after him and other Black churches.