Trump signs order aimed at allowing churches to engage in more political activity

[smilesammich 10,727]

Quote

President Trump on Thursday said he would direct the Internal Revenue Service to relax enforcement of rules barring tax-exempt churches from participating in politics as part of a much-anticipated executive order on religious liberties.

The order — which Trump formally unveiled in a Rose Garden ceremony with Christian leaders — also offers unspecified “regulatory relief” for religious objectors to an Obama administration mandate, already scaled back by the courts, that required contraception services as part of health plans, the officials said.

“For too long the federal government has used the state as a weapon against people of faith,” Trump said, later telling the religious leaders gathered for the event that “you’re now in a position to say what you want to say … No one should be censoring sermons or targeting pastors.”

But the sweep of the order — unveiled on a National Day of Prayer — was significantly narrower than a February draft, which had alarmed civil libertarians, gay rights and other liberal advocacy groups and prompted threats of lawsuits.

Among other things, that version included a controversial provision that could have allowed federal contractors to discriminate against LGBT employees or single mothers on the basis of faith.

The order released Thursday instead included a blanket statement that “it is the policy of the administration to protect and vigorously promote religious liberty.”

While Trump’s action was applauded by many in the Rose Garden, some religious groups criticized him for what they characterized as a vague directive that didn’t live up to his campaign rhetoric.

“We strongly encourage the president to see his campaign promise through to completion and to ensure that all Americans — no matter where they live or what their occupation is — enjoy the freedom to peacefully live and work consistent with their convictions without fear of government punishment,” said Gregory S. Baylor, senior counsel for the pro-fatith group Alliance Defending Freedom

As a candidate and shortly after taking office, Trump declared he would “totally destroy” what’s known as the Johnson Amendment, a six-decade-old ban on churches and other tax-exempt organizations supporting political candidates.

The provision is written in the tax code and would require an act of Congress to repeal fully.

The order instead directs the Internal Revenue Service to “exercise maximum enforcement discretion of the prohibition.” Such a direction could be subject to legal challenge and would not necessarily extend beyond a Trump presidency.

“President Trump’s executive order removes a sword of Damocles that has hung over the faith community for decades by administratively repealing the Johnson Amendment and restoring the right to political speech by pastors, churches and ministries,” Ralph Reed, chairman of the Faith & Freedom Coalition and a leading advocate of repealing the prohibition, said in a statement.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-signs-order-aimed-at-allowing-churches-to-engage-in-more-political-activity/2017/05/04/024ed7c2-30d3-11e7-9534-00e4656c22aa_story.html?utm_term=.524be3e354dc

whew. finally imam's will be free to comment on politics at the mosque and rally their flocks!   

[Amica Nostra 4,803]

1 minute ago, smilesammich said:

whew. finally imam's will be free to comment on politics at the mosque and rally their flocks!   

Money is Speech..now the bonus is Speech is tax deductible

[Transborderwife 4,666]

I'm a Christian, I believe in free speech.  But this looks like a license to let bigots bigot

[smilesammich 10,727]

2 minutes ago, ccneat said:

Money is Speech..now the bonus is Speech is tax deductible

http://dustoffthebible.com/Blog-archive/2015/10/28/15-religious-leaders-that-make-more-money-getting-out-of-bed-than-youll-make-all-year/

[smilesammich 10,727]

1 minute ago, Transborderwife said:

I'm a Christian, I believe in free speech.  But this looks like a license to let bigots bigot

whatever keeps trump king ding a ling.

[Transborderwife 4,666]

1 minute ago, smilesammich said:

whatever keeps trump king ding a ling.

If Trump could tell me a non-popular bible verse I'd be surprised

[smilesammich 10,727]

5 minutes ago, Transborderwife said:

If Trump could tell me a non-popular bible verse I'd be surprised

i'm sure he could! doesn't he have like an entire room dedicated to storing all of his beloved bibles?

[Transborderwife 4,666]

1 minute ago, smilesammich said:

i'm sure he could! doesn't he have like an entire room dedicated to storing all of his beloved bibles?

I think he thinks that they're like comic books, better in original packaging for retaining value 

[smilesammich 10,727]

4 minutes ago, Transborderwife said:

I think he thinks that they're like comic books, better in original packaging for retaining value 

i wonder if trump has a winter church home @ the winter white house, but during the spring summer and fall.

[Transborderwife 4,666]

3 minutes ago, smilesammich said:

i wonder if trump has a winter church home @ the winter white house, but during the spring summer and fall.

I don't think that he has a church home at present at all according to a recent news story 

[smilesammich 10,727]

10 minutes ago, Transborderwife said:

I don't think that he has a church home at present at all according to a recent news story 

i dont..i can't..how can this be? least he's not going to a mosque in secret and pretended do be christian in public like obummer tho.

[bcking 3,157]

1 hour ago, Transborderwife said:

If Trump could tell me a non-popular bible verse I'd be surprised

No one has, you know, looked into writing down scripture into a big book and calling it a bible. No one has done that. It's a great idea. Someone should look into it. 

[bcking 3,157]

"you’re now in a position to say what you want to say … No one should be censoring sermons or targeting pastors.”

 

I wonder if he would say the same thing about imams?

[smilesammich 10,727]

5 minutes ago, bcking said:

"you’re now in a position to say what you want to say … No one should be censoring sermons or targeting pastors.”

 

I wonder if he would say the same thing about imams?

i'm sure it only depends on if that imam is stumpin fer trump. we don't do religious discrimination in this country, fyi.

[The Nature Boy 7,659]

I find the love fest of Trump and the religious right puzzling