Restoring Free Speech In Houses Of Worship

Apparently, religious leaders had the right to express political preferences and engage in direct endorsement of candidates from the pulpit before 1954, when the current law went into effect.

Rep. Walter Jones of North Carolina, for the fourth time, has introduced a bill relaxing restrictions on political speech in churches. He says, "Each year we get more and more sponsors and I think there is more interest in this issue than has ever been."

This is the subject of a story by Kelley Beaucar Vlahos on Thursday, May 12, 2005 at Foxnews titled, Lawmaker Hopes to Open Churches to Political Speech.

Here's a quote:

WASHINGTON — As one pastor resigned this week amid a firestorm over the role of politics in his Baptist church, a U.S. congressman continues to try to make it easier for religious leaders and their congregations to engage in partisan political activity on the church's time and dime.

Read the rest of the story...

Jones told Foxnews that he strongly believes that if freedom of speech is not allowed to be expressed in our houses of worship, we will have people in the state legislatures and Congress who have no respect for the Bible or the Torah or other religious beliefs.

It is oppressive when we say that the church cannot speak its moral conscience. IRS guidelines consider words like "abortion" and "pro-life" as political speech. Opponents of free speech in houses of worship use the threat of revocation of tax exempt status against churches to intimidate them.

Let's pray that this bill flourishes. If the likes of the ACLU and Americans for the Separation of Church and State have their way, faith and churches will not even be allowed to exist, period.

Remember Canada.