Quote:
Originally Posted by MysticCat
I think there's some confusion around this. It's not a church-state thing. It's a tax thing.
Churches are exempt from having to pay taxes. As a condition of that tax exemption, they cannot engage in political activity. But contrary to what is sometimes heard, that doesn't mean politics can't be mentioned in the pulpit. In this context it means that churches cannot engage in partisan campaign activity -- they cannot "participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office." (Section 501(c)(3)).
So, a church can say "get out and vote." A church can educate voters about the issues. A church can even say "vote pro-life" or "vote for gay marriage." But a church cannot say "vote for candidate X" or "vote Democratic/Republican" without endangering its tax exempt status.
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Beat me to it! I remember hearing a lot about this during the 2004 election.
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