http://www.latimes.com/...
Before I read this article, I said to myself "hey the IRS is finally doing it's job of threatening the tax-exempt status of Churches who don't stay out of politics!" But then I actually read the article:
"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."
What's worse: "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 IRS cited The Times story's description of the sermon as a 'searing indictment of the Bush administration's policies in Iraq' and noted that the sermon described 'tax cuts as inimical to the values of Jesus.'"
Let's get this straight: They IRS isn't going after the tax exempt status of the church because he endorsed a candidate, but because they were critical to the Bush Administration's policies?
This is rediculous!!!!!!
How many other churches have been pro-Bush (or pro DeLay) and pro-war and not had their tax exempt statuses threatened? I've written here about at least two other very obvious and worse churches to have entangled themselves in the past, and don't forget the south where Churches getting themselves involved in politics is a normal thing.
There are two churches than I'm thinking of: a "megachurch" that hosted Dobson, Falwell, others, including TOM DELAY in support of Bush's appeal's court nominees. There was another one in the northeast that voted to excommumicate members that had voted for Kerry.
Note: if anyone can provide links to news articles about these or other churches that have obviuosly taken on politics, I'll post them in the main dairy.
"On a day when churches throughout California took stands on both sides of Proposition 73, which would bar abortions for minors unless parents are notified, some at All Saints feared the politically active church had been singled out."
So, what's going on here? Is the Bush Administration using another of it's long arms to stifle dissent from within Churches, normally his support base? Is he trying to control the early trend of dissent from within his support base? If he's not, explain why the IRS picked church (which the article describes as one of the most liberal in California) and that sermon in particular?
Or is this the beginning of an IRS crackdown on church political activities? If that's the case, this could spell very bad news for the GOP, especially the neoconservatives, who have used and maniuplated the churches as an aveneue to political offices.
I just don't know what to think about this one folks. I don't know whether to be outraged or relieved.