Obama Pastors' Sermons May Violate Tax Laws

[DeepModem Mom]

Source: Wall Street Journal, Page One

By SUZANNE SATALINE
March 10, 2008; Page A1

On Christmas morning, Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. compared presidential candidate Barack Obama's impoverished childhood to Jesus Christ's. "Barack knows what it means to be a black man living in a country and a culture that is controlled by rich white people," he then trumpeted. "Hillary (Clinton) can never know that." Mr. Wright wasn't at a convention or a campaign stop. He was standing at the pulpit before the mostly African-American congregation of Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ, where Sen. Obama has worshiped for more than 20 years.

Mr. Wright, who will be ending his 36-year tenure as the church's senior pastor in June, has previously been criticized for comments deriding President George Bush and lauding Louis Farrakhan of the Nation of Islam. Now Mr. Wright's and his successor's repeated enthusiastic promotion of their famous parishioner may be running afoul of federal tax law, which says churches can endanger their tax-exempt status by endorsing or opposing candidates for public office.

Sen. Obama's campaign issued a statement saying that he has repeatedly stressed that personal attacks "have no place in this campaign or our politics, whether they're offered from a platform at a rally or the pulpit of a church." The statement also said he "does not think of the pastor of his church in political terms. Like a member of his family, there are things he says with which Senator Obama deeply disagrees.'' Mr. Wright declined to comment....

Scholars and attorneys say that a growing number of congregations are delving into issue advocacy and partisan politics, a trend dating back to the 1980s, when the religious right enlisted churches to fight abortion. An increasing number of complaints to the IRS over church politicking have triggered agency probes into both liberal and conservative religious groups. A Baptist church in California has acknowledged it's under IRS scrutiny after a watchdog group complained that the church backed Republican Mike Huckabee in his recently ended bid for the White House....

A review by The Wall Street Journal of 13 sermons at Trinity seen live or through church-recorded DVDs since late December found nine instances of ministers at Trinity appearing to promote Sen. Obama's candidacy. Some of the sermons mentioned Sen. Clinton or her husband in unflattering ways. During that Christmas morning sermon, Mr. Wright declared that Hillary Clinton "ain't had to work twice as hard just to get accepted by the rich white folk who run everything or to get a passing grade when you know you are smarter than that 'C' student sitting in the White House." On Jan. 13, Mr. Wright told the Trinity congregation that some people say, "'Hillary is married to Bill and Bill been good to us.'" Mr. Wright continued, "No, he ain't!" Sen. Clinton's campaign didn't respond to requests for comment....

Read more: http://online.wsj.com/public/article_print/SB120511457633523621.html

[Ordr]

1. Just REPEAL the damn tax-exemption law for all houses of worship.

That law has blanketed some of the worst organizations in this country and has allowed them to thrive. There is absolutely no reason that we shouldn't be getting tax revenue from churches, synagogues, mosques, etc. I can't fathom how many billions the country could gain from these organizations.

[Igel]

12. I'd go for removing tax exempt status for all NGOs.

All non-profits.

Nature Conservancy, the Catholic Church, unions, CAIR, Harvard. Otherwise you throw the baby out with the bath water: Many such groups do educational outreach, charity work, community service. Many such groups also take advocacy positions: Can you imagine Greenpeace forced to take a neutral stance on all issues that it advocates on now? On the other hand, many are corrupt, many retrograde....

[BigDaddy44]

14. Are you for taxing homeless shelters too?

Basically what you're saying is that charitable organizations should be subject to taxation. Lets say a homeless shelter or soup kitchen exists solely based on donations. Should they be taxed? Who are you going to exempt?

[ixion]

2. and yet how many ministers, pastors, etc have pushed the WH policies?

I can tell you that I know of many. I was at a wedding a year or so ago, and the minister had flag pin on his label, and pro-bush propaganda all over his car and his office.

I didn't see the IRS asking HIM any questions, although I thought they should have.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

4. You should have filed a complaint with the IRS.

Pretty simple to get the ball rolling- all it takes is an individual's willingness to speak up.

[ixion]

5. my feeling is that then I would be audited

since the IRS is nothing more than a hammer for the WH.

[Igel]

13. Policies are one thing,

as long as they don't engage in partisan politics.

That's usually taken to mean "taking a stance on a particular candidate" or, more recently, "taking a stance on an issue closely allied or nearly synonymous with a particular candidate". Don't like abortion or coal-fired power plants ... agitate on.

[no_hypocrisy]

3. Well, at least, NOW we're SURE he ISN'T a practicing muslim, RIGHT?

My head hurts from all this nonsense.

[indimuse]

6. I read he brought up Monica L...IN CHURCH!

wtf..?

[politicaholic]

7. YES! Go after Obama's pastor...open the can o' worms and let the dominos fall...

Good bye Pat Roberts' tax free gravy train. Finally the billions of dollars collected by the evangelical church will go towards something worth while rather than bigger churches and changing US policy.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[snooper2]

9. I think it's a good thing...

It's basically a non-issue for voters...

and will help dispel the Obama=Muslim Muslim=evil bullshit with the nuckle draggers...and a few in GDP

[JerseygirlCT]

10. Oooo. You know, lots of times lately these have been

pretty iffy - the attacks by the IRS, that is.

This time? Sounds like they've got this one dead to rights. If he said what was reported, from the pulpit, that's definitely a no-no.

[pleah]

11. ...

:popcorn:

[ConcernedCanuk]

15. Soooo, if I read this right - and a church can afford and/or want to pay the taxes; -

.
.
.

They can endorse or oppose candidates for public office all they want!

Correct me if I'm wrong.