AmericanPapist Comments
And do you think this will increase or decrease with an all-Democrat Executive and Legislative?
We're not so superior to Elizabethan England as we think.
Good I hope they have to pay taxes. He crossed the line. We're losing Catholic Democrats because of this!
I posted this elsewhere.
What happens if the church lost its tax exemption?
Suddenly the bishops will be free to endorse a canidate by name, from the pulpit.
As I recall (and I may be off on my facts) NOW used the tax exemption stick on the bishops in the '70s over abortion.
Are African-American Churches also going to get a visit from the IRS? After, all, they've been campaigning for Dems from the pulpits for years. Tom
The bishop was speaking on the moral elements of political issues. Unfortunately I don't think the government (or many Catholics, sadly) understand the difference between moral decisions and prudential decisions. While I hope bishops will fight to defend their rights to teach faith and morals, I agree with Dean that if in the end dioceses lose their tax exemptions it may be a blessing in disguise.
CUAer, I'm curious. How exactly did he cross the line? I don't think pointing out matters of fact (and available to the public) and discussing how they go against our faith/morals as Catholics is "crossing the line." Help me out here.
I consider disobeying unjust laws to be the patriotic thing to do.
I thought the First Amendment was a restriction on the authority of Congress, not on the rights of religion.
That churches can't advocate political candidates is itself crossing the line of separation of church and state. "Illegal partisanship"?? No such thing in the US, at least not the US I grew up in.
There is no "separation of church and state" in the Constitution. There is freedom of religion in the same amendment as freedom of speech. The Constitution does not prevent religions and religious people from getting involved in the political process, nor does it advocate silencing preachers on political subjects, for those preachers also have freedom of speech. It doesn't even prevent the government from collaborating with religions nor prohibit religious speech from government entities (such as schools), because government workers also have freedom of religion and speech.
What it prevents (in a simplistic statement) is government from regulating religion, not anything more than that, and not the other way around.
Go Bishop Serratelli! Be fearless!
The anti-Catholic Americans United for the Seperation of Church and State is upset with Bishop Serratelli?
That's a compliment.
BTW, who's watching the watch groups???
I wonder if the IRS ever investigates their activities.
bill912,
I agree completely.
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