Frist's Justice Sunday-- Any church that participates in this event

[Amy6627]

should lose their tax-exempt status!

http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=18523

Frist is pulling out all the stops to build support for his radical plan to break Senate rules so he can eliminate the filibuster on judicial nominations and undermine the Senate's role in our constitutional system of checks and balances, said Neas. Frist's latest gambit is to embrace far-right groups' outrageous claims that the filibuster -- used to block a handful of President Bush's most controversial judicial nominees -- is being used to keep Christians out of public office.

“Men and women of deep faith can and do differ politically. But this event is clearly an attempt to manipulate religious faith for political purposes, and that is an outrage,” said Neas. “Americans value religious tolerance and respect, and attempts to use religion to stir up partisan, political rancor are unconscionable.”

Frist is a scheduled speaker for Justice Sunday, organized by the Family Research Council and supported by other far-right leaders like James Dobson, who are campaigning to intimidate and impeach federal judges whose rulings they disagree with, and who are demanding that Frist impose right-wing political dominance over the federal judiciary if he wants their political support for a 2008 presidential bid.

[Pacifist Patriot]

1. I agree. Posted this to the Religion forum too.

Ugh, ugh, and double ugh.

[TheDebbieDee]

2. I wonder what activist will attend to take the names......

of any churches sending reps to this meeting.

[Warpy]

3. This is a political forum held in churches

so anyone who lives near a place advertising this thing should send a letter to the IRS, to the state AG, and to the state department of revenue complaining about it.

They haven't changed the laws YET. There's still a prohibition on this sort of political activity at churches.

[kweerwolf]

4. I hate to be a wet sock in everyone's overshoe of enthusiasm ...

... but this type of thing may be legal.

Here in the Kansas City area prior to the 2004 election the Mainstream Coalition sent volunteers out to monitor churches for political messages from the pulpits. At least here in Kansas and Missouri churches can take stands on issues (gay marriage, stem cell research, abortion, right-to-die, etc.) without risking their tax exempt status.

What they cannot do is endorse a specific candidate ... so if the laws are similar throughout the country, having such events as "Justice Sunday" to energize the fundies about a particular issue would be allowed.

Unfortunately. :argh:

[Roland99]

5. VERY good point!

Contact your local IRS office and send LTTEs!!

[Roland99]

6. IRS contact page to report Tax Fraud

http://www.irs.gov/compliance/enforcement/article/0,,id=106778,00.html



BTW, current Form 1023 (Application for Recognition of Exemption - Section 501(c)(3))
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f1023.pdf

(Note Part VIII)



Interesting comment here:
http://www.reachm.com/amstreet/archives/2005/04/15/using-churches-to-engage-values-voters-part-2/



Louisville Courier-Journal op/ed on the event:
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050419/OPINION01/504190348/-1/SCENEdining

Meanwhile, the telecast on which Sen. Frist has agreed to participate -- it's entitled "Justice Sunday" and will originate from Highview Baptist Church in Louisville -- is similarly scurrilous. (It also raises the question of why Highview Baptist should retain tax-exempt status if it is to be used in such blatantly political fashion.)

The event targets judges who supposedly, in the words of one organizer, "rob us of our Christian heritage and our religious freedoms."

That, too, is a fantasy. America's religious freedom is its guarantee that anyone can choose any faith, or no faith, without government interference. The First Amendment specifically bars the government from favoring and promoting any one religious tradition.