Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoratation Act

[AuntieSocial]

DO NOT USE THE FORM ON THE FOLLOWING WEBPAGE. I provided this link as a reference only. The form on this page will preface your letter with:

As a United Methodist, I urge you to oppose the “Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act” (H.R. 235). This legislation is unnecessary and unwanted, and would demean the institutions from which so many believers expect unimpeachable decency.

Oppose the “Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act”

Urge your Congressional representatives to oppose the “Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act,” H.R. 235. It would lift important safeguards insuring separation of church and state, and allow houses of worship to keep their tax-exempt contributions while endorsing their favored political candidates. We believe that the Jones bill could turn the sanctuaries and pulpits of America’s houses of worship into partisan political rally halls. It is unnecessary and unwanted. The majority of Clergy in this country, and most of the mainline churches have not asked for it, nor do they consider this to be a necessary Act.

INSTEAD, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR U.S. HOUSE REPRESENTATIVE DIRECTLY. YOU CAN MODIFY THE SUGGESTED TEXT ON THE ABOVE PAGE (in the grey box in the right-hand column) OR WRITE YOUR OWN LETTER. EITHER WAY, THIS BILL WILL ALLOW TOO MUCH FREEDOM TO CHURCHES WHILE ALLOWING THEM TO MAINTAIN THEIR TAX-EXEMPT STATUS. IT NEEDS TO BE STOPPED! You can use this tool to find the name and click on the "Contact my Representative" button.

[AuntieSocial]

For those interested ... here's the actual Bill

108th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 235

To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to protect the religious free exercise and free speech rights of churches and other houses of worship.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

January 8, 2003

Mr. JONES of North Carolina (for himself, Mr. DELAY, Mr. BLUNT, Mr. HAYES, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Mr. SOUDER, Mr. HALL, Mr. DEMINT, Mr. GUTKNECHT, Mr. KENNEDY of Minnesota, Mr. WELDON of Florida, Mr. PENCE, Ms. HART, and Mr. PITTS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

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A BILL

To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to protect the religious free exercise and free speech rights of churches and other houses of worship.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act'.

SEC. 2. HOUSES OF WORSHIP PERMITTED TO ENGAGE IN RELIGIOUS FREE EXERCISE AND FREE SPEECH ACTIVITIES, ETC.

Section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by redesignating subsection (p) as subsection (q) and by inserting after subsection (o) the following new subsection:

`(p) An organization described in section 508(c)(1)(A) (relating to churches) shall not fail to be treated as organized and operated exclusively for a religious purpose, or to have participated in, or intervened in any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office, for purposes of subsection (c)(3), or section 170(c)(2) (relating to charitable contributions), because of the content, preparation, or presentation of any homily, sermon, teaching, dialectic, or other presentation made during religious services or gatherings.'.

SEC. 3. CAMPAIGN FINANCE LAWS UNAFFECTED.

Nothing in section 2 permits any disbursements for electioneering communications, or political expenditures, prohibited in the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971.

SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE.

The amendments made herein shall be effective as of the date of enactment of this Act.

To date, the following religious organizations are also opposed to the Bill:
[/li][li] American Jewish Committee
[/li][li] American Jewish Congress
[/li][li] Anti-Defamation League
[/li][li] Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs
[/li][li] Central Conference of American Rabbis
[/li][li] Disciples of Christ Justice Action Network
[/li][li] Church of the Brethren Washington Office
[/li][li] Episcopal Church, USA
[/li][li] Friends Committee on National Legislation (Quakers)
[/li][li] General Board of Church and Society, United Methodist Church
[/li][li] Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America
[/li][li] Interfaith Alliance Foundation, The
[/li][li] NA’AMAT USA
[/li][li] National Council of Jewish Women
[/li][li] National Council of the Churches of Christ, USA
[/li][li] Northwest Religious Liberty Association
[/li][li] Presbyterian Church (USA), Washington Office
[/li][li] Seventh-Day Adventist Church
[/li][li] Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART)
[/li][li] Soka Gakkai International -- USA Buddhist Association
[/li][li] Union of American Hebrew Congregations
[/li][li] Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
[/li][li] United Church of Christ Justice & Witness Ministries
American Jewish Committee

[AuntieSocial]

The above noted are signing an open letter to congress opposing the Bill

RELIGIOUS LEADERS SAY: OPPOSE THE JONES "HOUSES OF WORSHIP FREE SPEECH RESTORATION ACT" H.R. 235

Dear Representative,

We, the undersigned religious and denominational organizations, are writing to urge you to oppose H.R. 235, "The Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act," introduced by Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC). As religious leaders, clergy and organizations representing people of faith and good will, we believe the Jones bill would turn the inner sanctuaries and pulpits of America's houses of worship into partisan political rally halls.

You may remember that Representative Jones offered a strikingly similar bill in the 107th Congress, entitled the "Houses of Worship Political Speech Protection Act" which failed overwhelmingly by a vote of 178-239 under "suspension of the rules" on October 2, 2002. Though H.R. 235 represents a modified version of that legislation, there remain significant concerns about its implications for both our nation's houses of worship and the integrity of our political process.

As H.R. 235 may be considered by the full House in the coming weeks, we wanted to make you aware of our continued concerns and opposition to this legislation.

Current federal law states that houses of worship, like other 501(c)(3) organizations, cannot legally engage in partisan political activities and retain their tax-exempt status. This provision of federal law has served as a valuable safeguard for the integrity of both religious institutions and the political process. H.R. 235 would lift these important safeguards, and allow houses of worship to keep their tax-exempt contributions while endorsing their favored political candidates.

Religious leaders, denominational offices and faith-based organizations oppose H.R. 235 for many ethical reasons:

• Current law upholds the integrity of houses of worship. Churches, synagogues, temples and mosques should not be used as political headquarters or as a means of partisan fundraising for political activities. Tying houses of worship to partisan activity demeans the institutions from which so many believers expect unimpeachable decency.
  
• This bill is unwanted and unneeded by America's clergy. In a Gallup-Interfaith Alliance Foundation poll, a full 77% of clergy were opposed to their fellow clergy endorsing political candidates. Another poll conducted by The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press and The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life found that 70% of Americans feel that houses of worship should not come out in favor of one candidate over another during political elections.
  
• The bill is predicated on false assumptions about existing law. Supporters of these bills have argued that their enactment is necessary to allow religious leaders to speak out on issues of interest to their congregations. The reality is that religious leaders have an absolute right to use their pulpit to address the moral issues of the day.
  
• The only activities tax-exempt houses of worship may not engage in are the endorsement or opposition of political candidates, or the use of their tax-exempt donations to further partisan campaigns. Current law simply limits groups from being both a tax-exempt ministry and a partisan political entity. For a complete guide on this issue, we urge your staff to consult "Politics and the Pulpit: A Guide to the Internal Revenue Code Restrictions on the Political Activity of Religious Organizations," published by the non-partisan Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.
  
• This bill runs contrary to the spirit of the recently passed Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act. Despite claiming otherwise, H.R. 235 continues to have campaign finance implications that run contrary to the spirit of the recently passed Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act of 2002. In particular, H.R. 235 would permit considerable expenditures of tax-deductible funds to publicize endorsement-sermons and other election-related presentations made during religious services or gatherings through television, radio, and other media. In this respect, it contradicts Congress's recent emphasis on reducing the influence of soft money on Federal elections and requiring the disclosure of the sources of election spending. For additional information on the campaign finance implications of this legislation, we urge you to consult The Campaign and Media Legal Center's analysis on H.R. 235. ( www.camlc.org/press-442.html )

For these reasons, we urge you to oppose H.R. 235 and any similar legislation that seeks to alter the tax code as it pertains to houses of worship.

Sincerely,

The religious groups listed in the post above aren't the only ones who should be concerned with this Bill. If it is enacted, any pulpit couls be turned into a political soapbox (more so than they already are). The likes of Pat Robertson will have no fear of losing their tax-exempt status and can dabble freely in political areas that would violate the principles of separation of church and state.

The following quote was taken from The Interfaith Alliance website

The Interfaith Alliance has serious concerns with any legislation that seeks to weaken the wall of integrity between the inner-sanctuaries of houses of worship and the "anything goes" culture of a modern day political campaign. Under current I.R.S. code, houses of worship have an absolute prohibition on participating in any partisan political activities. Some religious-right organizations have been strong advocates of removing this prohibition in favor of allowing houses of worship to be full participants in partisan political campaigns during election years. The Interfaith Alliance opposes the removal of the absolute ban under any circumstances out of our belief that the intermingling of congregational life and partisan politics is a serious step backwards for religious liberty and the institutional separation of church and state.

[AuntieSocial]

Americans United for Seperation of Church and State filed an action alert with Congress.org recently (back in February). For those who would like to oppose this bill, and want to use the quick and easy, pre-formatted e-mails, the one on This page can be used. Unlike the previous link, this one does not include any religious affiliation in the opening of the email.

Here's their action alert text:

Oppose Politicizing Houses of Worship
Keep houses of worship from becoming partisan political rally halls!

H.R. 235, sponsored by Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC), would turn the inner sanctuaries and pulpits of America’s houses of worship into partisan political rally halls.

You may remember that Representative Jones offered a strikingly similar bill in the 107th Congress, entitled the “Houses of Worship Political Speech Protection Act” which failed overwhelmingly by a vote of 178-239 under “suspension of the rules” on October 2, 2002. Though H.R. 235 represents a modified version of that legislation, there remain significant concerns about its implications for both our nation’s houses of worship and the integrity of our political process.

H.R. 235 may be considered by the full House in the coming weeks, take action now! E-mail, call, or fax your Representative.

and the text of the email (required text is in italics, all else can be modified and/or deleted)

Subject: Oppose Politicizing Houses of Worship

As your constituent, I urge you to oppose the Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act (H.R. 235). This bill would wreak havoc on religious integrity and the political process.

Current restrictions on houses of worship do not exist as an impediment to religious leaders speaking out on important moral issues of the day. In fact, pastors and other religious leaders already enjoy that unencumbered right.

Tax law stops churches and other tax-exempt entities from using their personnel and money to intervene in partisan political campaigns. In the process, the integrity of religious institutions is protected by keeping them focused on the principal goals of nearly every house of worship: sharing their moral and theological views and ministering to believers, not offering directions on which candidates deserve political support.

Federal tax law serves our nation’s religious community well, preventing houses of worship from being drawn into partisan politicking. It does not need “fixing.” I urge you to reject “The Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act.”

Current restrictions on houses of worship do not exist as an impediment to religious leaders speaking out on important moral issues of the day. In fact, pastors and other religious leaders already enjoy that unencumbered right.

Tax law stops churches and other tax-exempt entities from using their personnel and money to intervene in partisan political campaigns. In the process, the integrity of religious institutions is protected by keeping them focused on the principal goals of nearly every house of worship: sharing their moral and theological views and ministering to believers, not offering directions on which candidates deserve political support.

Federal tax law serves our nation’s religious community well, preventing houses of worship from being drawn into partisan politicking. It does not need “fixing.”

Again, I urge you to oppose the Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act, HR 235. This is an important issue and one that I will be following.

Sincerely,
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