Political endorsement and tax exemptions
By Literata on October 2nd, 2011
You may have noticed the statement about “pulpit endorsements” in the example letter to elected officials from Hail Columbia. There is an effort among some conservative Christians to encourage churches to explicitly endorse specific political candidates. Churches and other non-profit organizations are not allowed to campaign for or endorse candidates, and they risk losing their non-profit tax exemption by doing so. The Alliance Defense Fund, a right-wing legal group, has announced that today is “Pulpit Freedom Sunday,” when like-minded clergy are supposed to flout tax law by preaching about candidates.
The blog for Americans United for Separation of Church and State has more analysis of the whole situation. This is yet another example of how some conservative Christians are trying to harness religion to drive political change. This Sunday was not chosen by accident; when it rolls around next year, the country will be just days away from electing a new President and members of Congress. What kind of effect would it have if people are told that it is their religious duty to vote for a particular candidate?
It’s certainly possible for people to spread that message anyway – and many do. But the venue matters. By speaking from the pulpit, in an official capacity, clergy members capitalize on all the financial support their organizations receive. People who donated to the church have now, perhaps unwittingly, funded a political campaign, one they may or may not agree with. And all of that money was exempted from taxes; donations to political campaigns are not tax-deductible, and by making the church into a campaign grounds, clergy put their tax-exempt status at risk. If they wish to do that, I support their freedom of speech, but they should not be able to use the added incentive of a tax break to encourage people to donate to an organization that is no longer working primarily for religious, educational, or charitable ends.
Freedom of speech doesn’t mean freedom from consequences. Educate your community about this issue to help counter right-wing propaganda and support fair and equitable application of tax law to all religions.
