Rector J. Edwin Bacon of All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena told many congregants during morning services Sunday that a guest sermon by the church's former rector, the Rev. George F. Regas, on Oct. 31, 2004, had prompted a letter from the IRS.
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.Now, this situation is, of course, an outrage. Everyone who owns a television set knows that fundamentalist ministries are, in essence, brainwashing devices owned and operated by the Republican party. Pat Robertson is nothing if not a political animal. (Of course, we now know that the Republicans secretly refer to the born agains as "wackos.")
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."
On June 9, the church received a letter from the IRS stating that "a reasonable belief exists that you may not be tax-exempt as a church … " The federal tax code prohibits tax-exempt organizations, including churches, from intervening in political campaigns and elections.
I am particularly bothered by the targeting of All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena. If my memory serves (as sometimes it does not), I once attended a superb performance of the Mozart Requiem there, back in the 1980s.
Nevertheless, perhaps we should encourage the IRS to do its dirty work in this instance.
An outrageous suggestion? Perhaps, but hear me out.
What is the gravest peril facing the world today? Fundamentalism. And how can we best combat fundamentalism in America? Tax any church which functions as a political entity.
So for now, let Bush go after the Episcopalians.
And then, once we finally put a Democrat back in office, use this precedent to DESTROY PAT ROBERTSON.
I'm sorry that we must sacrifice good Christians to attack the bad ones, but the peril we face justifies extreme measures.
8 comments:
As the treasurer of my church, I'm against this... besides we do pay payroll taxes (state unemployment ins., workers comp ins., 7.65% matching FICA), just as any other employer does, plus a small amount in property tax. We don't pay federal unemployment (FUTA) or income tax.
Our members give not only to the running of our church (for the pastor & other staff, the mortgage, the utilities, etc.), but they also give of their time and money to our community (soup kitchen, homeless shelter, people needing $ for rent, medical bill, etc.) and to national and worldwide causes (natural disaster relief, world hunger, etc.). We don't apply a "litmus test" to anyone needing help. Everyone is our brother and sister.
My congregation hasn't had a "profit" for quite some time. So I guess we'd pay no income taxes anyway. Maybe it would just be the fundies and other groups that would be hit by being taxed. Seems only fair since they are the ones breaking the IRS regs re endorsing political candidates & initiatives, putting out voter info, etc.
I'm appalled that the IRS would go after this "liberal" church (which doesn't sound like it broke any of the rules) and not the fundies who clearly have.
No ends ever justify the means. Using quesionable means only make us as brutal and corrupt as the people we oppose.
It certainly is reasonable to raise a hue and cry when a church is unjustly punished for speaking out against a political policy. Because the Roman Catholic Church speaks out against political figures who are pro-choice and it is not officially sanctioned. But targeting all churches with the aim of bringing down one man or one group would dehumanize us. And it's not worth that.
Joy Tomme
(http://ratbangdiary.blogspot.com)
How about applying the same standard across the board? If a church engages in political propaganda, it should pay taxes. To be fair, that rule should apply to ALL churches -- including the ones whose pastors say things we like. If that is the sacrifice we must make to combat the fundamentalist menace, so be it.
Listen to yourself! You are actually suggesting that we shut down churches by taxing them into oblivion. That is the same crap England pulled which made people leave and found colonies in the United States.
THAT IS CRAZY TALK.
ANAKIN YOU ARE BREAKING MY HEART!
Joseph, there are IRS guidelines as to what churches can and cannot do in the political arena.
Preaching the word of God, thru Jesus Christ, means speaking out against war. This is an issue of humanity, but of course it crosses over into politics.
Another example: I recently asked members of my congregation to sign (if they agree) a petition to our congressman, asking him to support legislation that raises the federal minimum wage. To me, this is an issue of fairness, of valuing work, giving dignity to those who work. Yet one member told me (nicely, we had a good conversation) that he thought bringing up this petition in church crossed the separation of church and state boundary. I can see his point, but on the other hand, without petitioning our elected representatives, how do we change something like this?
"I can see his point, but on the other hand, without petitioning our elected representatives, how do we change something like this?"
Change, for good or for ill, need not take place within an ecclesiastical context. To prove the point, let me sprinkle you with a few dates: 1776, 1789, 1848, 1917, 1933, 1945, 1989.
Religiously-motivated people can change society as well -- but for the better? Decades ago, people answering "yes" to that question would point to the example of Martin Luther King. But those days aren't these days. The time has come for us to ask: "What has religion done for (or to) us LATELY?"
When King marched -- when I was a boy -- only a handful of hillbillies doubted the theory of evolution. Now, over half the ill-educated American population believes the Jehovah-dunnit delusion. THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE EVIL.
We cannot compromise with a mass movement dedicated to undoing everything we have gained since the Renaissance. Voltaire got it right: CRUSH THE INFAMY.
What Pat Robertson represents is every bit as dangerous as what Adolf Hitler represented. If, to combat that menace, we must institute a strict across-the-board ruling keeping ALL tax-free churches out of the political realm, I say the price is a small one.
By the way...who said that taxing churches amounted to taxing them into oblivion (as one commenter suggested)? Whoever owns the Taco Bell down the street pays tazes. I presume. And that Taco Bell remains a going concern.
Joseph, how about if the IRS actually uses their own regs to crack down on those churches who *are* breaking the law and leave the rest of us alone? Many good congregations would suffer or go under were they taxed. Truly. Congregations depend on donations from their members - we don't charge dues, or a price to come to a Sunday service, or a price to go to a Bible study, etc. It's totally unlike a Taco Bell, where you have to pay the set price to get something.
"Change, for good or for ill, need not take place within an ecclesiastical context."
I absolutely agree. However, if, as a person of faith, I feel compelled to action by the words of Jesus - to aid the poor, the sick, care for the earth, treat others with dignity, etc., etc., then why not?
Have you read "don't think of an elephant!" by George Lakoff? He asserts that there are five types of progressives. Most have the same views and goals but may come to those views and goals by different means/outlooks. That should not be a reason for not working together.
There are quite a few "religious" social justice groups starting up all over the country - partly in response to Jim Wallis (God's Politics) who is passionate about social justice. (See www.sojo.net/) Our local group includes several Christian denominations and also Unitarians, but we are open to a person of any faith, as long as they believe our core values (which includes separation of church and state, by the way). The more we have involved, the stronger we become and the more influence we yield.
Some of these same people are also involved in anti-war groups and Amnesty International, whose members are not necessarily people of faith. But they work together because they have a common goal.
All I'm saying is why throw out the baby with the bathwater? Let's insist the IRS go after the churches that are truly breaking the regs.
I'm not the type of person to stand on a street corner preaching. I try to live my faith as best I can and hope that others will respect that.
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