Yea, my brothers and sisters, it’s time for the World o’Crap ministry to become a formal church so that we can spread forth our political opinions and then not pay taxes! The AFA told me to do it. And we have the assurance of David Barton that it’s all perfectly legal, in that the Constitution says churches shouldn’t pay taxes; and anyway, the IRS is bunch of pussies.
Here’s the story:
No Need for Pastors to Fear the IRS
A Christian constitutional expert thinks the Internal Revenue Service’s lack of response to a recent initiative shows there is no longer any reason for pastors to be silent on political issues when standing behind the pulpit. (See earlier story)
Current law prohibits pastors from speaking on politics or endorsing a political candidate, but David Barton of WallBuilders says the IRS’s intimidation of removing a church’s tax exemption status is unconstitutional. Even though some pastors have intentionally crossed the line, Barton does not think the IRS wants to take them to court because it may lose.
“The IRS doesn’t have any interest in doing this because if they do, I believe they know they are going to lose. And if they lose, you have 370,000 pastors in America who suddenly find out that there’s no restriction on them,” Barton suggests.
The WallBuilders president explains that churches are guaranteed tax exemption status under the Constitution, but he believes many pastors are afraid to speak about politics because they fear they will lose their letter of tax exemption.
“You cannot lose your tax exemption as a church because as a church, you have a constitutional standing for tax exemption,” he points out. “So with that basis, losing your letter means absolutely nothing — and that’s something pastors are now figuring out.”
Okay, as you may know, David Barton is a “constitutional expert” in that he has a B.A. from Oral Roberts U., and has done his own “research.” That’s it. Legitimate scholars and legal experts are less than impressed with his credentials, but the Republican Party and Glenn Beck think he’s the cat’s meow. So, even though I couldn’t find anything in the Constitution that said that churches are guaranteed tax-exemption status (or that the IRS says that you can preach politics and still call yourself a church), I would definitely take his advice to flout the IRS.
Here’s some background on Mr. Barton. You may note that he is a “Dominionist,” and believes that Biblical Law should be the law of the land (you know, with all the stoning disobedient children and homosexuals and such), which is probably why Pastor Cary, one of his acolytes, titled his kid’s TV show “Passage to Dominion.”
Anyway, if you want to join our new church, just send a tax-deductible donation.
David Barton is a first class nut, and a busy one at that. He’s the source of most of the “This is a Christian nation” nonsense you hear these days. His usual schtick is telling tall tales about the Founders, some of which are laughable at face value. Most recently, he became an instructor for “Beck University”, so…yeah. Go here for more about him and his fabrications.
Left by D Johnston on October 14th, 2010