The Church in the Valley in Leakey, Texas currently has a church sign up that reads “Vote for the Mormon, not the Muslim! The capitalist, not the communist!”:
[Pastor Ray Miller] said he feels strongly about the upcoming presidential election and feels the message on the marquee speaks for itself.
…
While the very small and quiet town of Leakey is now in the spotlight, some business owners are embracing the attention.
“I love it. Even if it’s bad attention, bring it on. Come to town, see what it’s about,” Damon White said. “Not everyone hates Obama, not everyone loves him; not everyone hates Romney, or loves Romney. Come see for yourself.”
The problem isn’t the pastor lying about President Obama. I mean, the Bible condemns it and all, but we can’t expect a pastor to know that.
The problem is that the IRS has just been letting these things slide. Churches are considered non-profits and they don’t pay taxes on their income. That means they can’t endorse politicians.
We saw Christian pastors taunt the IRS on “Pulpit Freedom Sunday” earlier this month — pastors across the country endorsed candidates because they think they have a right to do so.
The IRS is fully aware of this practice.
What they should do is revoke every participating church’s tax exemption. Instead, they look the other way and do nothing. It’s money that the churches have no right keeping, but unless they get challenged, they’re not going to give it up.
We can’t expect Christians to do the right thing. The IRS needs to do its job.
(Thanks to Kevin for the link!)