Johnson Amendment

Trump Attacks Separation Of Church And State With Vow To Totally Destroy Johnson Amendment

... to efforts to get special interest money out of politics. President Trump’s vow to totally destroy the Johnson Amendment at the National Prayer Breakfast was an attack on the separation of church and state, and a big blow to efforts to get special interest money out of politics. At the National Prayer Breakfast, Trump said, “Among those freedoms is the right to worship according to our own beliefs. That is why I will get rid of and totally destroy the Johnson Amendment, and I will allow our representatives of faith to speak freely and without fear of retribution. I will do that. Remember.”. The Johnson Amendment is a piece of legislation that was passed in 1954 that did not allow religious organizations to, “Participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on ...

President Trump Just Pledged To 'totally Destroy' This 63-year-old Rule

... Service (IRS). In spite of these concerns, the restrictions on political engagement by religious organizations under the Johnson Amendment has been criticized by members of a wide range of religious denominations , who contend that churches should be able to freely participate in politics and promote issues and candidates that represent the views of their membership. Churches have always played a nonpartisan role in politics, helping to transport voters to polling stations during elections. Democratic and Republican churchgoers, alike, could leverage a repeal to advocate for their respective issues. As it stands today, the Johnson Amendment is routinely defied. Church leaders have publicly endorsed presidential candidates, including Trump and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election. Allowing churches to express political opinions isn't the main concern, though, according to Alan Brownstein, a law professor at the University of California, Davis. "Pastors can say whatever they want, as can anyone else," Browstein told The Atlantic  in August. "The question is whether a tax-exempt institution can say whatever it wants and retain its ...

Bill Aims To Protect ‘free Speech’ In Church

... at 06:03 PM, February 1, 2017. MOORE, Okla. — The people in the pews may be a captive audience, but Pastor Keith Jacobs feels like he’s a captive, at times, to federal rules restricting what he can and can’t preach. “I feel like I have the freedom to talk about issues, I have the freedom to talk about what the scripture says - what is right, what is wrong - but, because of the way the law is presented now, that I cannot endorse a person,” said Jacobs, who leads the Regency Park Baptist Church. U. S. Sen. James Lankford (R-Oklahoma City) said the restriction is unconstitutional. He’s taking steps to repeal what’s known as the Johnson Amendment. Passed in the 1950 s, the law threatens to take away the tax-exempt status of churches and other 501(c)(3) nonprofits if they endorse or oppose specific political candidates. “The federal government and the IRS should never have the ability to inhibit free ...

Don't Listen To The Complainers On The Religious Right. We Need The Johnson Amendment

... able to make political endorsements from the pulpit without jeopardizing their churches’ tax exemptions. The fact that they cannot now do so, they argue, represents an infringement on their religious freedom. That’s utter nonsense. The Johnson Amendment merely assures that taxpayers do not subsidize partisan politicking. It also ensures that tax-exempt organizations do not serve as the conduit for tax-exempt contributions to political candidates. By complaining about the supposed limitations on their free speech, the religious right fails to acknowledge that tax exemption is a form of public subsidy. All of this kvetching from the religious right is an attempt to confuse voters with sleight of hand. By complaining about the supposed limitations on their freedom of speech, these leaders of the religious right fail to acknowledge that tax exemption is a form of public ...

President Trump Says That Religious Freedom Is 'under Threat

... the American people for their prayers in his opening days in office. He also took a dig at Arnold Schwarzenegger , the new host of "The Apprentice," the reality TV show Trump previously headlined. Trump said that since Schwarzenegger took over, the show's rating have been down, and asked the audience to "pray for Arnold.". While the president's comments were likely to be warmly received by religious groups, LGBTQ groups are anxious that the president could use his executive powers to curb rights. "We think it is entirely possible there could be an executive order that creates religious exemptions," said James Esseks, LGBT project director for the American Civil Liberties Union. He added that the "narrative" that Trump won't harm the LGBTQ community was "not correct.". Earlier this week, ...

Nrb Endorses Free Speech Fairness Act To Repeal 'infamous' Johnson Amendment

... James Lankford (R-Okla.) in the Senate. Dr. Jerry A. Johnson, NRB President & CEO, issued the following statement. "For too long the infamous Johnson Amendment has dangled like a sword above the heads of pastors and ministry leaders, chilling their constitutional free speech rights. The Free Speech Fairness Act is a fair and reasonable remedy that will ensure such leaders know they can speak as they feel called without having to worry about the heavy hand of the IRS coming down on them. I am grateful to President Trump for raising this issue to prominence over the last year, and I thank Sen. Lankford, Whip Scalise, and Rep. Hice for carefully crafting this bill. I urge its swift passage by Congress.". A 1954 provision authored by then-Senate Democratic Leader Lyndon B. Johnson (D-Texas) to stop Section 501(c)(3) organizations from "intervening" in political campaigns has since been interpreted to bar ministers and nonprofit leaders from making political statements at their organizations' functions or in their publications. In addition to being constitutionally suspect, this rule has been vaguely and inconsistently applied by the IRS, resulting in a chilling effect. ...

Ryan Supports Repealing Law That Prevents Pastors From Endorsing Candidates From Pulpit

... who said the God who gave us life gave us liberty. Jefferson asked, ‘Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are a gift from God?’ Among those freedoms is the right to worship according to our own beliefs,” Trump said. “That is why I will get rid of and totally destroy the Johnson amendment and allow our representatives of faith to speak freely and without fear of retribution,” Trump said. Ryan also said that he doesn’t want the Little Sisters of the Poor “to be forced to buy coverage that violates their conscience.”. Copyright 1998-2017 __link__. __link__ is a division of the Media Research Center. The mission of the Media Research Center is to create a media culture in America where truth and liberty flourish. The MRC is a research and education organization operating under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and contributions to the MRC are tax-deductible. Copyright © 2014, Media Research Center. All Rights Reserved. Federal employees and military personnel can ...

Apn Pushes Trump To Repeal Johnson Amendment

... pushed by Lyndon Johnson many years ago, threatens religious institutions. I am going to work very hard to repeal that language and protect free speech for all Americans.”. According to the Daily Caller, he echoed that sentiment at the Value Voters Summit in September. “We’re going to get rid of that law… we’re going to get rid of it so fast.”. “Pastors are charged by God to always speak biblical truth from the pulpit,” said APN President Sam Rohrer. “From abortion and marriage to tyranny in office, the Bible is very clear on social, cultural and political issues. Efforts by government to intimidate pastors on preaching biblical truth not only violate God’s direct command but are also unconstitutional. We encourage pastors to stand up for truth by continuing to urge President Trump and Vice President Pence to make good on their commitment to repeal the Johnson Amendment.”. Proposed by then-Senator Lyndon B. Johnson and passed by Congress in 1954, the law prohibits tax-exempt organizations—including churches and ...