Reply #11: Keep in mind people that there's a flip side to this.

[Xithras]

While a few churches do somewhat dabble in politics in the abortion debate and euthanasia discussions, it's pretty rare for them to directly get involved in electing leaders. If you strip them of tax-exempt status, that will all change. You'll have religious leaders coming out directly endorsing candidates..."God wants all you good Baptists to vote for Jeb this November!" or "The Pope says that any Catholic voting for Hillary Clinton this November will be going to hell, because she supports abortion and God will treat anyone supporting that as a CHILD KILLER!".

Stripping churches of their tax exempt status will invite them into the public arena in ways that none of us have experienced in our lifetimes. In fact, part of the reason for churches HAVING tax exempt status nowadays is to keep them out of the public political arena as much as possible...the threat of taxation for direct political involvement is usually enough to keep them discrete and to force them to keep their endorsements indirect.

Keep in mind that the elderly are a huge voting block in this country, and that by a great majority they tend to vote Democratic (because we support Medicaid, SS, and other programs important to them). Unfortunately, elderly people ALSO tend to be far more religious than the rest of the population...people tend to fall back on their faith when they get old and realize that their lives are in twilight. Repeal the tax exempt status and you'll have conservative pastors all over this country scaring these old people into voting conservative out of fear for their immortal souls.