Political snitches monitor sermons
At least two organizations are monitoring the content of Sunday sermons by U.S. pastors and threatening to report churches to the Internal Revenue Service if they hear political messages they deem inappropriate under federal guidelines on tax-exempt status.
Earlier this week, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, headed by Barry Lynn, filed a complaint with the IRS against Ronnie Floyd, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Springdale, Ark., accusing him of preaching a sermon promoting President Bush's re-election July 4.
The complaint challenges the church's tax-exempt status as a religious organization.
Lynn's letter to the IRS reads, in part: "The pastor's description of the candidates' stands and their personal religious beliefs was obviously aimed at encouraging congregants to cast ballots for Bush. The church is known for its stands on social issues and its opposition to legal abortion and gay rights. By lauding Bush's stands on these and other issues and attacking (Sen. John) Kerry's, Floyd was plainly telling his congregation to be sure to vote for Bush.
"I have enclosed a videotape that includes the entire sermon as well as a partial transcript. About 45 minutes into the message, Floyd begins to discuss the differences between Bush and Kerry.
Organizations granted tax-free status under federal law "may not participate at all in campaign activity for or against political candidates," according to published IRS guidelines...
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=39596
My comments: Since this website is not tax exempt anyway and I'm not part of any non-profit organization, I can say what I please at least at this time. We are seeing the constitution destroyed by those who are purposely changing it to mean what they want it to mean. There is no church and state separation in the constitution. Church pastors have a right to preach and teach anything they want because the guarantee of free speech is in the constitution. Persecution is going on all over the world and in the United States we have been free from persecution for many years because of our constitution. Things are beginning to change as we see evil people coming into out churches not to worship with us but to spy on us for the IRS. Our founding fathers who wrote the constitution would turn over in their graves if they knew of this occurring in this once great country.
Here is more:
Democrats back church IRS probe
The local Democratic Party is supporting an Internal Revenue Service investigation of an Arkansas pastor who is accused of delivering a pro-Bush sermon July 4.
The Washington County Democratic Committee issued a statement affirming a complaint filed by Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, against Ronnie Floyd, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Springdale.
The Democrats say the sermon should be "investigated thoroughly."
The party, the statement said, "looks forward to the day when all citizens may vote their conscience without their political beliefs being dictated to them by politically involved religious leaders, regardless of denomination."
Americans United for Separation of Church and State filed a complaint with the Internal Revenue Service against the pastor's July 4 sermon, suggesting it endorsed the re-election of President Bush and therefore violated the conditions of the church's tax-exempt status.
"American democracy is rooted in the principle of the separation of church and state," the Democratic committee's statement said. "The Washington County Democratic Party remains committed to maintaining this value and belief if only in our small corner of the state."
Associate Pastor Alan Damron of First Baptist replied in a prepared statement: "Contrary to the statement by the Washington County Democratic Party, 'separation of church and state' is not in the United States Constitution. Our Constitution guarantees the right for all to speak on political, social, moral, and biblical issues. The Constitution includes pastors and churches. There have been American religious leaders past and present who did not and have not withheld their opinions about social issues or moral issues and/or politicians who supported or opposed various American rights. If the pastors or churches are not protected by the First Amendment, then neither are professors, or non-profit, tax-exempt educational institutions...
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=39625
The Democratic party is backing this invasion of local churches. The Democratic party which once stood for free speech and freedom is backing the move to restrict the churches of their right to free speech. We are losing our rights quickly in a nation that once stood for freedom. This would surely make me afraid to vote for someone like John Kerry after reading these things. If the Democrats are in power, will our religious freedoms in America be in jeopardy? Tax exemptions being removed is only the beginning. We can give up being tax exempt but what would come next? Would preaching the word of God become a "hate crime"? If we don't stand up against these things now, that will be next. After that it will get worse and worse. Jesus said these things would occur before He comes again but who would have ever believed that the United States would begin to persecute people who stand up for their faith. I have preferred to stay out of politics on this website. I prefer to keep politics out because it divides people. However, if they threaten churches in this manner I will give my opinion on the subject.
Kansas group monitors sermons
A recent Sunday found Tina Kolm changing her morning routine. Instead of attending a Unitarian Universalist service, she was at the Lenexa Christian Center, paying close attention to a conservative minister's sermon about the importance of amending the U.S. Constitution to ban gay marriage.
Kolm is one of about 100 volunteers for the Mainstream Coalition, a group monitoring the political activities of local pastors and churches.
The coalition, based in suburban Kansas City, Kan., says it wants to make sure clergy adhere to federal tax guidelines restricting political activity by nonprofit groups, and it's taking such efforts to a new level.
The 47-year-old Kolm, from Prairie Village, Kan., said keeping church and state separate is important to her. She doesn't want a few religious denominations defining marriage - or setting other social policy - for everyone.
"What it's all about to me is denying some people's rights," she said.
But some local clergy think the Mainstream Coalition is using scare tactics designed to unfairly keep them out of the political process.
"Somebody is trying to act like Big Brother when there's no need for Big Brother," said the Rev. James Conard, assistant pastor at the First Baptist Church of Shawnee. "It's obviously an intent to intimidate."
Kansas isn't the only place in this election year where church-state separation has become a hot issue, but the Mainstream Coalition's efforts are more intense than most.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State filed a complaint this month with the Internal Revenue Service against the Rev. Jerry Falwell over a column endorsing President Bush on his ministries' Web site. Falwell said the group was waging a "scare-the-churches campaign."...
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_np=0&u_pg=57&u_sid=1156366
Gays and lesbians are constantly trying their best to force acceptance of their lifestyle on everybody else, including churches. They have demanded to be ordained in the ministries of churches who have taught against that lifestyle in the past. Churches originally believed the bible as the word of God and that the bible teaches against the homosexual lifestyle. If they want to live in that lifestyle, the United States constitution protects them. If Christians prefer to reject that lifestyle because it is against the word of God, then they have every right to do so and to teach their congregations against that life.
Homosexuals even if they do not get aids, have a life expectancy 33 years shorter than straight individuals. Those that acquire aids have an even shorter life. This should tell us something. The lifestyle is unhealthy. It kills. Why should we not warn our congregations that it is dangerous. The bible teaches that it is an abomination against the law of God. God knows that it is a killer both in spirit and in body. We are not to hate the homosexuals but we are to warn them that how they live is wrong and could kill them. Through faith in Jesus Christ they can be free from this lifestyle. This is the message we need to get out and warn them that they can be free. The only thing that keeps them from being free from this type of sin is that they refuse to see themselves as sinners. In order to be saved from any sin, we have to acknowledge that we have sinned. We must turn from or repent of sin to be saved. Jesus Christ gave His life to save us from sin. All sins. In order to be saved from sin, we must come to Jesus by faith and turn away from sin. Jesus gives us His spirit and we become born again. Old things pass away and all things become new. We are saved by His grace.
All sins including homosexuality separates us from God. Sin keeps us from having eternal life and entering heaven when we die our natural deaths. Sin cannot enter heaven. Jesus came to pay the price for all sin so that all who believe can be saved or freed from sin. If we refuse to accept Jesus Christ, then our sin remains within us at physical death. Our sin then takes us to hell. This sin is not just homosexual sin but also adultery, lying, stealing and anything against the law of God. Jesus came to free us from sin. To be free from sin we must believe in Him. We must believe that He died for our sins and that faith in Him will free us from sin. We must accept Jesus as savior and Lord of our lives. Then and only then can we inherit eternal life. Both homosexual and straight people can only be saved by faith in Jesus Christ. There is no other way of salvation.
Once we accept Jesus, however we are not to return to the sin we were saved from, We are not to return to what Jesus died for us to be free from. The adulterer must not return to adultery, the thief must not steal anymore, the murderer must not return to murder and the homosexual must not return to that lifestyle. Jesus didn't just come to forgive our sins but to free us from sin.
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