My local church puts out big signs in front telling you what to vote for. Regularly see cops attend that church. No one cares
The police don’t enforce tax regulations. The IRS has its own people for that.
Would you expect an IRS auditor to pull someone over for speeding? Of course not, that’s ridiculous.
I don’t even expect my local PD to pull anyone over for speeding. They don’t do shit.
Unless they’re Black drivers who don’t even have to be speeding.
I don’t expect an IRS auditor will put their career on the line to tax a church, either. That’s a third rail for a government employee. And imagine how loudly the Republicans will squawk.
All these church regular attendees are constantly being told what to do with their lives. “No abortion, no lgbt”, etc. I would say, even if they were not told who to vote for explicitly, they are still being told who to vote for implicitly.
(Not saying what they doing is right, just saying how this whole religion thing works)
Yep. That’s 100% the bigger issue. The church may or may not officially say to vote for a specific person or party, but they sure as shit will manipulate their entire group to think and vote a certain way.
And even more insidious is most of the people will deny they are being manipulated. They will insist that they decide how to vote all by themselves. It’s just years of indoctrination and manipulation to the point most of them don’t even realize they are being controlled and used.
And maybe some truly believe it all too, but most have doubts and realize it’s messed up, but have been gaslit into thinking it’s THEIR shortcomings or flaws or human nature to blame. Not the organization, them personally.
And here we are millennia later still arguing with grifters and con artists so good at the grift they believe it works.
That’s why religion still exists. When it’s still gaining momentum, it’s a threat to existing powers until they can get control of the religion, then they push it on everyone they can because when you can control the religion, you can control massive populations with little threat of rebellion. See: “holy” Roman empire, Church of England
the irs already knows that line is violated constantly. unfortunately, they don’t have the resources or the kahunas to go after the churches that do this. there’s way too many (like most of them, probably), and “going after churches” would be a political shitstorm regardless of the constitutional validity of such “persecution”
The word you’re looking for is cajones. Also, capitalization exists for a reason.
Funnily enough, kahunas could feasibly work in that context; it translates to someone with a lot of authority in Hawaiian.
Nope, in that context the word is cojones. Balls.
Thanks, my spelling was a bit off. 🤙🏼
The thing about the IRS is that they exist mostly outside of the consideration of political pandering. They just need to enforce tax code, not care about what people think. Kind of like a computer program. They don’t write the rules they just enforce whatever is on the books. They aren’t really elected or responsible for the perception of their acts. They are already generally unpopular publicly so I don’t see them being overly concerned about political shitstorms.
and “going after churches” would be a political shitstorm regardless of the constitutional validity of such “persecution”
Say that again. No one likes the IRS. Imagine how little it would take to spin this. In this corner you have a soulless government agency that all of us have had to deal with on and in the other corner you have a church, the institution that generally is well liked, being “attacked” because the pastor expressed their first amendment rights. Sure it’s spin but it would definitely work. Big mean government vs tiny church.
Churches should be tax liable anyway, regardless of whether they tell you how to vote. Why are they exempt, but other businesses aren’t? Or rather, why are other business tax liable when churches aren’t?
aren’t most non-profits free from taxation?
Yes, and they are held to certain standards and have reporting requirements. Churches do not have to do anything except declare they are a church. No standards, no reporting. They can just count their profits.
I guess we’ll have to send in spies, though, because congregation members are never going to report their own church.
are there any examples of this ever working? I’d like to be wrong but I don’t think this works or has ever worked
Wouldn’t we be rid of churches if this was actually enforced?
