It's not "Freedom"

It's "cheating."  A bunch of church ministers want to engage in political activities.  They should have the right to do that, right?  Wrong.  The problem is their tax-exempt status.  These churches make money.  Some of the mega-churches in the bible belt make millions of dollars every year.  They have never paid a penny of taxes because the US government allows churches to be tax-exempt.  So far so good, except if you agree not to pay federal taxes, then the government has a right to put some limits on you.  Specifically, political activities cannot be tax-exempt.  The reasons for this are obvious, and very important.

If we allowed tax-exempt political campaigning, it would be a disaster.  Think of the hundreds of millions of dollars raised by political campaigns every year.  The law preventing this was passed in 1954, and for good reason.

So what are the churches really trying to do?  They're trying to cheat.  They want tax-free political campaigning.  There's a reason it's not allowed, and there's a reason why most religious leaders choose to stay politically neutral.  Of course, many of the issues of our times are informed by religion.  Abortion.  Charity.  Same-sex marriage.  Almost every religion has an opinion on these things, and the preacher has the right to preach the religious message.  But when you start endorsing candidates with tax-exempt money, you're breaking the law.

But I'm not tax-exempt, so while I'm at it, here's my two shekels worth.

It's time the liberals took back religion.  I'm sick of the right wing having a monopoly on patriotism and a monopoly on faith.  I love my country too.  I have two American flag lapel pins, and a US Senate lapel pin (from when I served my country in Washington).  I own a gun and I pray to God a minimum of three times a day.  No, really.  And I'm a Democrat.

The reasons are obvious.  Sometimes I wonder if the Republicans have co-opted the religious right, and not the other way around.  The bible tells you to love your enemy.  Where is the compassion in our war on terror?  The bible says you shall have one law for citizens and strangers alike.  Why all the hate for illegal aliens?  (Never mind the fact that it's all hypocrisy because everyone likes cheap lettuce.)

Where in the bible does it say that life begins at conception?  I'm Jewish, I know the OT better than any Christian out there.  (If you can't read it in the original, you don't really know what it's saying.)  There's nothing in there about abortions.  And for that matter, there's no law against contraception or homosexuality either.  Those are all mistranslations and the religious right ought to know better.  Challenge me if you want; I'll go toe-to-toe in Hebrew with anyone.

Now here are the show stoppers: what about charity?  In Hebrew it's called Tzedakah and it's considered a commandment.  So why do the Republicans oppose welfare and medical insurance for poor children?  Sure private charities help, but if we're talking about legislating morality, then there's obviously a moral disconnect here.

The other big gun: the environment.  The bible is crystal clear that the environment must be protected.  In Judaism this is known as Tikkun Olam, or repairing the world.  There's even a religious "Earth Day," Tu Bishvat, called the "New Year for Trees."  God gave us the earth, and it is our job to protect it and heal it.  The massiah will not be given to us; it must be earned.  The massiah is supposed to exist in an earthly paradise, but it is up to us to make that paradise in anticipation of his arrival.  Pollution, holes in the ozone layer, and global warming are all contrary to God's will as expressed in the bible.

At this point I don't even need to name a candidate; it should be obvious.  God wants you to support the candidate who supports charity, love for your enemy, equal rights for the stranger among you, respect for contraception, abortion and homosexuality, and care for the planet.  And would it be too much to ask for marriage based on love between mature, consenting adults?  (<cough>Bristol Palin<cough>)  And how about campaigns based on honesty?  "Thou shalt not lie" is not one of the Ten Commandments, but it is in the bible.

J<