Kathy Shaidle has a link to liberals sitting in at Christian services to hear if a minister endorses Bush.
Is it McCain-Feingold that is the reason for this? Or is it the tax-exempt status of non-profits? Regardless, no one is questioning non-profits on the other end of the political spectrum. Is it too much to ask the USCCB to demand that the freedoms of religion and speech is protected equally in this country? It seems the freedom of speech is held with a kind of fervor that the freedom of religion is not.
Kathy also has a link to a story on the Deal Hudson issue by Jeremy Lott at The American Spectator.
Why is it that in Baptist Churchs John Kerry can speak and promote himself? Along with Al Gore and BIll Clinton for years
Right that both the leftist churches as well as rightist churches should be scrutinized. But the issue is not free speech v. free exercise of religion. The issue is violation of prohibition on endorsement of candidates fortax exempt entities under 501C(3) of the tax code. You can exercise your religion all you want; doesn't mean the gov't can't tax a particular organization that runs afoul of the rules. But yes, the scrutiny seems politically slanted, and certainly the complaints are politically slanted.
Actually, this is all about mau mauing churches that are pro-Bush into watering down their endorsements and demobilizing the white evangelicals. You can politically do an awful lot from the pulpit legally but knowing that any mention of Bush risks an IRS investigation with all the expense and hassle that entails, some pastors are going to shy away and give up their legal rights.
That's a real shame.
In October 2000, President Clinton had 200 liberal black ministers to the White House to powwow about how to whip up support for Gore. The Washington Post had a two-column-inch sidebar story buried deep in the A section. I don't remember a peep from secularization-extremist activists like Edd Doerr or Barry Lynn. Liberal churches have historically gotten a blissfully free pass on this sort of stuff.