Group ask Justice to monitor coalition activities(don't look at churches)

[Robbien]

TOPEKA, Kan. - A Washington-based organization is asking the federal Justice Department to investigate a Kansas group that is monitoring the political activities of churches and clergy in the Kansas City metropolitan area.

The Mainstream Coalition, headquartered in Prairie Village, announced last month that it would send volunteers into area churches to see whether churches and their pastors were abiding by federal laws governing political activity by nonprofit institutions.

On Wednesday, the Christian Seniors Association announced it had sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft and the head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, asking to have federal agents sent to the Kansas City area. The group describes itself as the Christian alternative to AARP and puts its membership at about 100,000.

Executive Director James Lafferty said Mainstream's activities represent harassment, creating "an aura of intimidation" designed to prevent clergy and churches from speaking out on political issues.

Mainstream is doing the government's job because the government will not do it. Now this new "group" is asking that the government stop Mainstream. What a crazy world we live in.

http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/state/9209802.htm

[DBoon]

1. harassment is being made to obey the law

n/t

[mom cat]

2. Church and State....never mix, never worry.

[truthisfreedom]

3. it won't be long before we are all required to proclaim our belief in a

cloud-being, or face the consequences.

[MichiganVote]

4. The Bush team

sent Catholic parishes a letter asking for congregant names and addresses. So much for limiting telemarketing.

ACLU where are you?

[leesa]

5. I met a woman today who was going on a cruise with a Christian

Living group of some sort and she was gushing about this and that luxury and then she said "and the best part is that I get to write the whole trip off because it's a church function". What kind of Christians are these?