Last month, there was a concerted effort by fundamentalist pastors to openly defy these rules, and it appears that they were completely ignored by the feds.

Either the laws need to be changed or enforced. The current situation is extremely bad government, imo.

to go after these partisan, exempt orgs.

... just before the 2004 election. The church was All Saints Episcopal Church, Pasadena, California.

See: http://civilliberty.about.com/od/religiousliberty/p/antiwar_sermon.htm

Isn't the POTUS the boss of the IRS. I know why he's not pushing it now, but after the election I hope he cleans his own house first.

I remember reading that a couple of months ago. Great time to cheat on your taxes.

I'm trying to make sense of this. Can't so far.

The Catholic Church and their organized business interests with Obamacare?

How about the Mormons and DOMA?

The only ban is on support or opposition of a party or candidate. Such support or opposition is what is illegal under the IRS rule. Issues are perfectly legal for any charitable non-profit group to do, this includes churches, the Red Cross and other similar Charitable non-profits.

There's a separation of church & state, and religious organizations are exempt from taxes. They have NO business meddling in politics. Perhaps I'd feel differently if they weren't granted tax-exempt status. It really disgusts me.

by shaming them.

Sing it!

Getting entire groups of people to believe in your version of "fairy dust" has created massive mega-religions whose land holdings, bank holdings and various business holdings are larger than some Fortune Five Hundred Companies. Yet because these "holdings" all come about because of a belief in this or that kind of fairy dust, they are tax exempt?

Doesn't make any sense to me.

ALL non-profits (educational, scientific, religious, etc.) have to follow the same rules about partisan political activity. You can't single out religious non-profits solely because they are religious. If they meet the criteria and qualify to register as a non-profit, then they have to be allowed just like any other.

Organizations that have preached to their congregations about who to vote for.

Also, Mormons and the Catholics have offered up huge amounts of monies for their campaign against Prop Eight here in California. And the church authorities have, in the case of the Roman Catholic Church, the bishops even tell candidates that they will be excommunicated if as a publicly elected official they will stand firm on the right of women to choose as they will regarding abortion. This is all very new. John F Kennedy was a Catholic and he was able to say, in a rather outspoken way, that he would represent the people in terms of what they had chosen as the laws of the country. And that he would respect the opinions of the Supreme Court. And no one threatened him with excommunication.

Just saying there's no way to revoke tax-exempt status for all religious orgs unless we get rid of it for all non-profits.

But yes, definitely investigate the violators!

pushing mittsnake big time.

Religious orgs don't pay taxes because they are registered non-profits, not because they are religious.

To single out religious organizations and say "non-religious nonprofits are exempt but religious ones aren't, even though they meet all the same criteria, because they are religious" would be a violation of the first amendment.

will not be afraid to direct the IRS to go after these churches.

that tax free status and watch how quick these so called christian leaders STFU! And I used to go, I know what kind of snakes they are. Money is usually their god.

They sell confidence, redemption, and a sense of belonging.

you are right. They sell those things to people. Well my understanding, from the little I know, is Jesus gave em away for free. Shame on them for taking advantage of peoples fear of going to hell!

i have never known any Catholic priests who weren't proud to be associated with the Big Finance People.

I bet most people have noticed the same thing abut other churches and ministers.

The roar of "PERESECUTION!!!" would be deafening.

I contend that not pressing the matter would equate to Constitutional suicide.

why should they be exempt from property taxes? This robs education. Of course, that is probably the plan. Break the schools and fill in the blanks with the babble.

How about the First Unified Church of Knowledge. Or FUCK for short. Invite your friends to FUCK on Sundays.

Seriously, there was some such named church that suddenly built a HUGE church building in a nearby town. I thought it really strange that a church I'd never heard of was able to afford such a huge bldg.

They had a big sign saying "Stop Obama's HHS Mandate!" plastered right on the entrance door to the church a couple Sundays ago. I took pictures, and sent them to the IRS with a filled-out form reporting tax fraud. I guess my efforts were futile.

Issues are perfectly OK to state, it is the support or opposition of candidates and parties that are illegal, if they want to keep their Federal exemptions.

The real problem is that the people declaring such things illegal really mean, "They disagree with me and might prevent what I want to see happen. So they have to be be stopped."

The text and intent of the law and lawmakers are immaterial.

The irony is thick when I'm reading this post and I see that banner.

A freshly re-elected Obama administration will want to push such nonsense out of the mainstream quickly.

I seriously doubt anyone in the White House will do anything to antagonize them.

It's one thing to get an exemption because your organization tutors public school students, cleans up rivers, or provides meals to the poor.

It's quite another to get an exemption b/c the org gets people together to recite prayers to the invisible man. For that matter, those of us in the church of the FSM should get an exemption, too.

That would be a great lawsuit, actually. The church of the FSM demands a tax deduction!

Hope you have a good ride. And meet people, make friends.