Thanks FC! It is even worse according to the web site that you cited: When a church accepts the 501c3 status, that church:
•Waives its freedom of speech. •Waives its freedom of religion. •Waives its right to influence legislators and the legislation they craft. •Waives its constitutionally guaranteed rights. •Is no longer free to speak to the vital issues of the day. •Becomes controlled by a spirit of fear that if it doesn’t toe the line with the IRS it will lose its tax-exempt status. •Becomes a State-Church. A corporation is by definition a creature of the state. By leaving free church status and incorporating, a church is making itself not a free creature of Christ, the king of kings, but a creature of the civil government. This is actively mingling church and state, and worse, subjecting the church to the state.
When the church goes further and receives 501c3 status, it is doing the same thing at the federal level: subjecting Christ to Caesar. Worse yet, such a church is effectively signing a contract not to preach the Bible in many ways in the public square in “exchange” for the promise of tax exemption—a right it already has to begin with.
23 minutes in, the issue of 501(c)(3) "churches" was raised.
ReplyDeleteTurns out that churches don't need 501(c)(3) status for contributions by their congregants to be tax-deductible.
http://americanvision.org/8389/dear-huckabee-churches-need-not-give-up-tax-exempt-status-to-speak-freely/
Thanks FC! It is even worse according to the web site that you cited:
ReplyDeleteWhen a church accepts the 501c3 status, that church:
•Waives its freedom of speech.
•Waives its freedom of religion.
•Waives its right to influence legislators and the legislation they craft.
•Waives its constitutionally guaranteed rights.
•Is no longer free to speak to the vital issues of the day.
•Becomes controlled by a spirit of fear that if it doesn’t toe the line with the IRS it will lose its tax-exempt status.
•Becomes a State-Church.
A corporation is by definition a creature of the state. By leaving free church status and incorporating, a church is making itself not a free creature of Christ, the king of kings, but a creature of the civil government. This is actively mingling church and state, and worse, subjecting the church to the state.
When the church goes further and receives 501c3 status, it is doing the same thing at the federal level: subjecting Christ to Caesar. Worse yet, such a church is effectively signing a contract not to preach the Bible in many ways in the public square in “exchange” for the promise of tax exemption—a right it already has to begin with.