Tens of thousands, perhaps even hundreds of thousands, of parishoners were treated yesterday to encouragement from their Pastors, Priests, Rabbis, Imams, and/or worship leaders to get out and vote on Tuesday, November 4th. They would have been reminded of their duty as a person of faith and as a member of this nation to take part in our most sacred secular rite in this country - a rite that too many have shirked in the past.
For many Americans, their house of worship is where they congregate to feel a strong sense of community, to share their triumphs and their fears, and to get guidance from those who have made it their life's work and business to reach into the divine and bring back a little bit of wisdom to share with their partners in this struggle called Life. Low-info voters who happen to frequent houses of worship for inspiration and to help absorb the "correct" view on life and community often look to their church leaders for advice - personal, social, and even political.
This isn't the issue, of course.
The issue is when ministry leaders think they have the right to inform the entire congregation of their personal "truths" about politics.
This diary is inspired by Jdories' diary today about leaving an otherwise good church behind because you can no longer tolerate the lies and propaganda directed at good people. Jdories' church elders had made distinctly biased propaganda available while claiming the pamphlets were "non-partisan."
Here is the importance of non-partisan literature in a non-profit environment: if a non-profit organization is found to be politically active and endorsing one party or candidate over another, they can be found guilty of violating the agreement they have as a non-profit with the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS, if they deem it appropriate, can revoke the non-profit status of any organization in violation of the agreement, and said organization will then be required to pay taxes on its income.
How many houses of worship do you believe intentionally violated this agreement yesterday - the Sunday before election day - or at least attempted to make the case for their candidate clear while skirting around the IRS regulations?
More importantly, how many of you attended a church that did this, or know someone who did?
Reporting violations is very easy. Your report may not make waves, but it will flag the organization as a potential violator, and may prompt the IRS to send the organization a reminder of their obligations as a non-profit. It is very important to ensure that these rogue ministries who have been lying to the congregants for the past 12 years are finally told that it's no longer acceptable - you, your family, and your friends can be part of ensuring that this is done.
The form that you need is 13909, it's readily available here on the IRS website. Be professional, non-emotional and succinct in presenting the facts to the IRS, and transcripts or actual written documentation (pamphlets, church bulletins, etc.) are essential if they're available to you.
Remember: Reporting these violations, even in a church that you love dearly, is not petty politicking. Violating this agreement with the IRS is immoral and illegal on the organizations' part, and they must be reminded of their obligation to uphold that agreement if they wish to continue receiving the benefits of a non-profit organization.