Antiwar Sermon Brings IRS Warning

[Synthaholic]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Antiwar Sermon Brings IRS Warning


[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The Internal Revenue Service has warned one of Southern California's largest and most liberal churches that it is at risk of losing its tax-exempt status because of an antiwar sermon two days before the 2004 presidential election.

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]

ACTIVISM: Rector J. Edwin Bacon encourages congregants at All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena to sign petitions and vote. Bacon says the church is careful never to endorse candidates.
(Richard Hartog / LAT)
[/FONT] [/FONT]Rector J. Edwin Bacon of All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena told many congregants during morning services Sunday that a guest sermon by the church's former rector, the Rev. George F. Regas, on Oct. 31, 2004, had prompted a letter from the IRS.

In his sermon, Regas, who from the pulpit opposed both the Vietnam War and 1991's Gulf War, imagined Jesus participating in a political debate with then-candidates George W. Bush and John Kerry. Regas said that "good people of profound faith" could vote for either man, and did not tell parishioners whom to support.

But he criticized the war in Iraq, saying that Jesus would have told Bush, "Mr. President, your doctrine of preemptive war is a failed doctrine. Forcibly changing the regime of an enemy that posed no imminent threat has led to disaster."

On June 9, the church received a letter from the IRS stating that "a reasonable belief exists that you may not be tax-exempt as a church … " The federal tax code prohibits tax-exempt organizations, including churches, from intervening in political campaigns and elections.[/FONT]




[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Targeting Liberals, and not a peep from the Right. [/FONT]

 

[B. Kidd]

An isolated instance or was it part of a systemic targeting of liberals?

 

[B. Kidd]

Just what I thought.........the OP cannot credibly answer my question.

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Antiwar Sermon Brings IRS Warning


[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The Internal Revenue Service has warned one of Southern California's largest and most liberal churches that it is at risk of losing its tax-exempt status because of an antiwar sermon two days before the 2004 presidential election.

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]

ACTIVISM: Rector J. Edwin Bacon encourages congregants at All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena to sign petitions and vote. Bacon says the church is careful never to endorse candidates.
(Richard Hartog / LAT)
[/FONT] [/FONT]Rector J. Edwin Bacon of All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena told many congregants during morning services Sunday that a guest sermon by the church's former rector, the Rev. George F. Regas, on Oct. 31, 2004, had prompted a letter from the IRS.

In his sermon, Regas, who from the pulpit opposed both the Vietnam War and 1991's Gulf War, imagined Jesus participating in a political debate with then-candidates George W. Bush and John Kerry. Regas said that "good people of profound faith" could vote for either man, and did not tell parishioners whom to support.

But he criticized the war in Iraq, saying that Jesus would have told Bush, "Mr. President, your doctrine of preemptive war is a failed doctrine. Forcibly changing the regime of an enemy that posed no imminent threat has led to disaster."

On June 9, the church received a letter from the IRS stating that "a reasonable belief exists that you may not be tax-exempt as a church … " The federal tax code prohibits tax-exempt organizations, including churches, from intervening in political campaigns and elections.[/FONT]




[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Targeting Liberals, and not a peep from the Right. [/FONT]

Boy, the Obamabots sure are in CYA mode today.

 

[bendog]

Well, the IRS actually removed tax exempt status from the church leading to at least two years of litigation. I have no idea where the matter stands now. At the time, I thought it was more or less a warning shot to one of the most liberal, and wealthy, chuchres around. No better way to attack a church than to hinder donations.

The troublesome thing with the tea party groups, imo, isn't that they were investigated back in 2010 or so, because no one, not even the gop, really knew what they were about, or if they could somehow be coopted into the party. But, it seemed pretty clear by this time last year that there was a gulf, or ravine, between what the national party was about, and the candidates the tea party was actually supporting.

The telling issue, imo, is the 'conservative" selective outrage.