NYT: I.R.S. Eyes Religious Groups as More Enter Election Fray

[DeepModem Mom]

I.R.S. Eyes Religious Groups as More Enter Election Fray
By LAURIE GOODSTEIN
Published: September 18, 2006

With midterm elections less than two months away, Christian conservatives are enlisting churches in eight battleground states to register voters, gather crowds for rallies and distribute voters’ guides comparing the candidates’ stands on issues that conservatives consider “family values.”

This election year, however, the religious conservatives are facing resistance from newly invigorated religious liberals and moderates who are creating their own voters’ guides and are organizing events designed to challenge the conservatives’ definition of “values.”

Both religious flanks are looking nervously over their shoulders at the Internal Revenue Service, which this year announced a renewed effort to enforce laws that limit churches and charities from involvement in partisan political campaigns.

“We became concerned in the 2004 election cycle that we were seeing more political activity among charities, including churches,” said Lois G. Lerner, the director for exempt organizations at the I.R.S. “In fact, of the organizations we looked at, we saw a very high percentage of some improper political activity, and that is really why we have ramped up the program in 2006.”

The I.R.S. issued a report in February that said nearly half of the 110 tax-exempt organizations it investigated after the 2004 elections for improper political activity were churches. Of the 40 churches that the I.R.S. had finished investigating, 37 were found to have violated the law. These churches were given warnings or penalized with excise taxes and, although none lost their tax exemptions, the I.R.S. is still investigating seven more cases against churches....

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/18/us/politics/18church.html

[Kutjara]

1. It's about friggin' time.

Strip these bastards of their tax-exempt status and audit the crap out of them. Just imagine the amount of dirty laundry that'll turn up.

[AndyTiedye]

4. They Are Only Going After LIBERAL Churches

The reich wing churches get a pass from the IRS.

[Kutjara]

5. Of course. How stupid of me not to realize.

I thought I lived in a different America for a minute there. It was nice.

Oh well, back to reality.

[JerseygirlCT]

7. Yup -- see this one:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2156341&mesg_id=2156341

[Solo_in_MD]

8. Discussed this with a fundie neighbor

He countered with pastors who took an anti-abortion stand from the pulpit in Canada were threatened by the thier equivalent to the IRS. Anyone here know about that?

[crikkett]

11. too bad canada isn't the US n/t

[MGD]

2. It will never happen with George Bush in charge but it's a start.nt

[krispos42]

3. I smell another IRS funding cut

We don't need all those non-profit auditors. Just like we don't need all those auditors to check inheiritences...

[NVMojo]

6. too fucked up to believe ...how about the fundies?

[newspeak]

9. hell,where were they for the 2004 election?

Let's see, they investigated the American Friends Society and now this Episcopal church. My, my, I see a pattern here. How about all those fundy churches spouting on the pulpit about how great are dear leader is? How about 2004?

[kestrel91316]

10. Blind support of Bush is simply religious doctrine, and

therefore UNTOUCHABLE, but opposition to his policies of aggression are political and therefore taboo.

Got that?

More evidence that the RW considers him the Second Coming of Christ.......

[newspeak]

12. nah, you got it wrong

Moon is the second coming and * is the right hand of the anti-Christ, really doing God's will.;-)

[kestrel91316]

13. Pope John Paul II thought he was the Antichrist. I don't even

BELIEVE in all that garbage, but I think he was spot on.