IRS to start monitoring Sermons?

The following article is from political outcast. Personally, I feel if Churches stopped focusing on tithes being a tax deduction instead of a gift to God, then none of this would happen. However, I still don’t agree with what the IRS is talking about doing. Here’s the article.

 

And the freedom to preach the Bible is directly protected in the First Amendment.

According to Lifesite.com news:

The IRS has agreed to pay closer attention to what is said in houses of worship after reaching a settlement with a secularist group in federal court last week.

On Friday, the IRS settled a lawsuit filed in 2012 by the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF). The Wisconsin group brought the lawsuit because it said the IRS was ignoring complaints about churches violating their tax-exempt statuses. Specifically, FFRF said many churches promote political issues, legislation, and/or candidates from the pulpit in violation of the 1954 Johnson Amendment, which requires that non-profits not endorse candidates.

According to FFRF, the IRS has not followed a 2009 ruling requiring it to hire someone to keep an eye on church politicking. The IRS says it hasn’t ignored the ruling, but merely failed to follow it.

The government has put a moratorium on the IRS’ investigations of tax-exempt organizations after the scandal that broke in 2013 over its targeting of pro-life, pro-family, and Tea Party groups. FFRF says that even though the IRS will not enforce the agreement because of the moratorium, they can still bring the lawsuit again if needed after the moratorium is lifted.

This is a cancellation of the First Amendment. To just mention one point in all this: churches are not mere non-profit organizations. They are not tax exempt because non-profit organizations are tax exempt. If the government ended the tax exemption of non-profits tomorrow, the government would still not be able to tax churches according to the First Amendment and the legal heritage around it.

The IRS has plainly arranged a “sweetheart lawsuit” to get forced to do what they already want to do. And you know they will never touch urban, mostly- or all-black churches that openly campaign for Democrats. You know they will never touch Barack Obama’s home church in Chicago and the preacher’s political ranting (nor should they!). But they will hit the Evangelical conservative churches that preach what God’s word says about marriage and other ethical issues.

This is nothing more or less than an attempt to bar the church from freedom of religion and free speech.
Read more at http://politicaloutcast.com/2014/07/will-irs-monitor-sermons-promise-atheist-group/#E66je7xXZOllVltR.99