The Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act

[quaoar]

Just the latest attempt by the American Taliban to destroy the Constitution.

http://www.hr235.org/

HR 235 was introduced to liberate clergy from the muzzle imposed by the absolute ban on all speech that may be regarded as "political," and thereby enable them to speak out on all vital and moral and political questions of the day. It will free houses of worship from the fear and anxiety and uncertainty created by the threat that the IRS will impose financial penalties or revoke tax-exempt status altogether.

[Kerrytravelers]

1. Chruch, meet State. Now, take it over.

Scary. Very, very scary.


What these zealots don't get is that by having this seperation, it is protecting the churches as much as it is protecting the state. But if they don't get this simple fact by now, they probably never will. I had a fundy one time tell me she wanted her church running the state. I asked her why her church, why not someone elses, say a Buddists, why a Christian domination. She said, and I shit you not here, because her church "is the best church." Then she cheered, like we were at a football game. I have never seen anything so... kooky... in my life.

[Demit]

2. LOL! I too want to be free from the fear and anxiety that the IRS will

impose penalties on me if I break a tax law. Where's my HR bill?

This proposal is so ridiculous it's got to be a sop to the religious right. Who introduced it, I wonder?

[fudge stripe cookays]

4. Some guy in North Carolina.

I read about him a couple days ago, but his name escapes me at the moment.

North Carolina. Surprised after the other day?

(Note: the above was not meant as a jab at all North Carolinians, merely pointing out the similarities between pastor and politician in this case.)

FSC

[Jack Rabbit]

3. Absolute ban? Horesepucky.

They are only prevented from endorsing specific candidates and positions on ballot measures. Otherwise, Martin Luther King used the pulpit to lead the civil rights movement and Jerry Falwell and others can condemn homosexuality and abortion to their hearts content.

Is the ban worse than the kind of ecclesiastical blackmail Pastor Chandler presented to his parishioners last week? I would remind those supporting this bill that it would have been just as wrong to excommunicate parishioners for voting for Mr. Bush as it is to excommunicate them for voting against him.

It is possible to condemn abortion as morally wrong and still regard it as good public policy to keep it legal. If there were an absolute ban on all speech that could be regarded as political, clerics could do their jobs. However, clerics must also allow citizens to do their duty as citizens and public officer to do their jobs. Just as the state should not imprison or fine anyone for how he worships, so the church must not sanction parishioners for their behavior as citizens.

The best way to do that is to ban clerics from making endorsements of specific candidates or ballot measures from the pulpit.

[gratuitous]

5. Actually, churches can weigh in on ballot measures

Ballot measures are supposed to be "non-partisan" citizen- or legislative-initiated referenda. As such, taking a position on a ballot measure is not supposed to be an endorsement or condemnation of a political party or figure.

So we're really talking about a very, very narrow restriction on the "right" of churches to speak out on political issues, one that as one poster has mentioned is as much for the protection of the ecclesiastical process as it is for the political process.

[quaoar]

7. It was a coalition of churches

that defeated former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman's proposal several years ago to start a state lottery to fund education.

And after they won, they started feeling guilt so they tried to start a movement where churches would send to a local school the amount of money they would pay in property taxes if they weren't exempt. But only a few churches did that.

[Ian David]

6. See related threads: East Waynesville Baptist Church expels Democrats

44 topics match your criteria (here's just a few):

H.R. 235 would allow pastors to endorse candidates& retain 501c3 status:
Topic started by chomskysright on May-06-05 10:20 PM (118 replies)
Last modified by holboz on May-09-05 11:01 AM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1451745


Pastor Says Ouster a Misunderstanding ( The vote was a Misunderstanding LO
Topic started by wakeme2008 on May-08-05 12:24 PM (63 replies)
Last modified by Lex on May-09-05 12:58 PM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1454656

Ousted worshippers stand their ground on Mother's Day (DUer mentioned!)
Topic started by Steve_DeShazer on May-09-05 01:01 AM (28 replies)
Last modified by Freedom_from_Chains on May-09-05 12:06 PM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1455783

CNN plays audio of NC Church's anti-Kerry election sermon - (VIDEO)
Topic started by dzika on May-09-05 09:27 AM (32 replies)
Last modified by Dawgs on
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=3622897


North Carolina church EXCOMMUNICATES all Democrats!!!
Topic started by GarySeven on May-06-05 09:50 AM (140 replies)
Last modified by Moderator on
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1449772

East Waynesville Baptist Church in NC expells all Dem members
Topic started by libnnc on May-05-05 07:42 PM (610 replies)
Last modified by babywatson on May-09-05 12:53 PM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=3604552

NC pastor now saying it was all a "misunderstanding"
Topic started by charlyvi on May-08-05 01:00 PM (158 replies)
Last modified by theboss on May-09-05 09:31 AM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=3618692

Pastor Chan Chandler
Topic started by brettdale on May-07-05 11:04 PM (12 replies)
Last modified by wishlist on May-08-05 09:37 AM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=3616489

I bought the domain name for that Baptist Church in Ashville...
Topic started by ClintonTyree on May-06-05 01:15 PM (12 replies)
Last modified by Lowell on May-07-05 11:54 AM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=3608247