Monday, Sept. 29,2008 10:03 p.m.
As the election heats up, a group of ministers across the country might
run into trouble for endorsing their choices for president. Dubbed
Pulpit Freedom Sunday, 33 church leaders will speak to their
congregations about how they should vote. Copies of their sermons will
be sent directly to the Internal Revenue Service in attempt to
challenge the law that prevents nonprofit organizations from dealing
with partisan issues. The issue is these churches’ tax-exempt
status. By allowing tax-exempt organizations to be involved with the
political process, the government is, in essence, contributing to those
campaigns.It doesn’t matter if it’s an official nomination or a recommendation in a Sunday sermon.Saving an organization money through tax breaks is a negative tax, essentially the same as donating to them.