To the radical liberals, separation of church and state means the Church should just shut up. The liberal Americans United for Separation of Church and State has asked the IRS to revoke the Diocese of Colorado Springs’ tax-exempt status because Biushop Michael Sheridan had the temerity to actually teach his people that it is unacceptable to support the slaughter of innocents and the sanctioning of gross immorality. And, horrors!, he actually set standards for what it means to be a good Catholic. How dare he?
AUSCS has clearly stepped beyond the pale, and undoubtedly knows it, just hoping to garner some publicity. Sheridan did not endorse a particular candidate. He elucidated moral principles, and if a religious leader is not allowed to do even that, then there is no point to religion. Or is that the goal that people like Barry Lynn are driving toward?
We are on the brink, in this country, of losing huge chunks of our religious freedom. The secular, subjectivist and just plain evil forces in this country are seeking to force all religious folk (the majority, as it were) to shut up and keep their faith to themselves outside of, and now sometimes, inside of church. They do not want religious folk to have a say on morals in the public square. But we have (for the time being) that right. We must defend that right vigorously – and never desist from using it.
This is not the only attack on a Christian Church’s Tax exempt status today—-
I think this may be the next mode of attacks upon Christian Institutions in the United States, by liberal, secular, anti-Christian organizations—-
“Gay rights group: Church broke law”
http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2004/05/27/build/state/50-gay-rights.inc
Gay rights advocates filed a complaint with the Commissioner of Political Practices against the Canyon Ferry Road Baptist Church Wednesday, saying the church inappropriately held an event to support a proposed constitutional ban on gay marriage.
Montanans for Families and Fairness, a coalition that includes InterMountain Planned Parenthood, PRIDE and the Montana Human Rights Network, said in the complaint that the church failed to report to the state commissioner it used its “in-kind” resources to support the proposed constitutional ban.
“I don’t know what they’re talking about,” Stumberg said, after hearing the details of the complaint. “We haven’t given a cent. The only thing we’ve done is we’ve spoken out for marriage.”
The Canyon Ferry Road Baptist Church opened its doors Sunday night for a broadcast event that piped in leading national evangelical leaders, including James Dobson of Focus on the Family and Chuck Colson of the Prison Fellowship, who promoted traditional marriage.
Petitions supporting the constitutional ban against gay marriage were circulated, and signed, Stumberg said. He said the church did nothing wrong.
“If they want to go to court about it, I guess I’ll get me a lawyer,” Stumberg said.
…In addition to incurring fines, the church could be in danger of losing its nonprofit status with the IRS if it engages in political advocacy, he said.
…Note: That this “gay rights” organization is comprised of “Planned Parenthood and a leftist “human rights” organization.
Planned Parenthood is an ‘inhuman rights’ organization…
I think these groups had better not tick off Christian churches… because there’s lots of liberal churches on their side who also do political advocacy. I mean, there’s some Council of Churches that seems to always be putting out letters telling politicians to do this or that (or not to do this or that). Many of these Baptist churches have let Democratic politicians speak from the pulpit (I am glad no Catholic Church has demeaned itself thusly).
In any case, the more totalitarian tactics these guys use, the more their power will slip away.
The liberal Americans United for Separation of Church and State has asked the IRS to revoke the Diocese of Colorado Springs’ tax-exempt status …
Then they damned well better march into the offices of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton and demand the same thing!