Ohio Churches' Political Activities Challenged.

Source: Washington Post

Good. Either you are a church or a political organization; this one is pretty simple. Want to go on the GOP crusade? Then give up your tax exempt status. Want to keep it? Then don't cross that line from the pulpit.

It's rather simple, isn't it?

In a challenge to the ethics of conservative Ohio religious leaders and the fairness of the Internal Revenue Service, a group of 56 clergy members contends that two churches have gone too far in supporting a Republican candidate for governor.

Two complaints filed with the tax agency say that the large Columbus area churches, active in President Bush's narrow Ohio win in 2004, violated their tax-exempt status by pushing the candidacy of J. Kenneth Blackwell, who is the secretary of state and the favored candidate of Ohio's religious right.

The clergy members said the churches improperly held political activities and allowed Republican organizations to use their facilities.

The goal of the challenge is "for these churches to stop acting like electioneering organizations," said the Rev. Eric Williams, pastor of North Congregational United Church of Christ. "I don't want to harm or demonize these churches. I want these churches to act legally."

Of course, there is going to be favoritism and protection for churches which support the GOP's causes and are deliberately violating the law.

When three months passed without public evidence that the IRS had acted on a January complaint, the clergy members filed a second document, expanding the allegations.

"You have flagrant intervention continuing and no indication of IRS activity," said Marcus Owens, a lawyer for the group and former director of the IRS office that regulates tax-exempt organizations. He considers the evidence of wrongdoing "pretty overwhelming" and suspects favoritism, which tax agency officials deny.

It's always nice when so-called "believers" deliberately violate the laws of the land for a political cause. So doing God's work consists of violating the law on purpose and doing illegal activities now?

I'm a believer, myself, and for some reason, I'm failing to make that connection.

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