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More controversy at Obama's Church


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Religious people a have a right to organize and actively support candidates and promote legislative agendas. Hell, they even have a right to work to amend the Constitution to allow theocratic government.
Except that pesky IRS gets in the way when it comes to churches.

I wonder if Trinity is tax-exempt?

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Except that pesky IRS gets in the way when it comes to churches.

I wonder if Trinity is tax-exempt?

Interesting. I guess because of their tax exempt status, churches aren't allowed to get involved in political life? I didn't think of that. I thought other tax-exempt entities could get involved in activism. I'm not sure, though.

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I agree with you here. My high school had a "Prayer Club," which was actually a Christian Prayer Club, where students got together and talked about their faith, experiences, etc. and prayed at the flagpole every morning. No one was forced to join; everyone was welcome to join. They did no proselytizing--they didn't bother anyone. I think that is a perfectly acceptable and reasonable display of faith in the public sphere.

Where I draw the line is when judges hang the ten commandments in a courtroom, or install a two-ton statue of the commandments at a courthouse, or otherwise try to promote a religious viewpoint.

My view of the first amendment and the idea of church-state seperation is that it is not meant to prevent religious institutions from getting involved in government, but to prevent government from getting involved in religious affairs. Faith has been a major part of American life, for better or worse. Religious people a have a right to organize and actively support candidates and promote legislative agendas. Hell, they even have a right to work to amend the Constitution to allow theocratic government.

Of course for Christians the issue becomes do I pray for God's kingdom to come or do I make a kingdom of my own making?

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Interesting. I guess because of their tax exempt status, churches aren't allowed to get involved in political life? I didn't think of that. I thought other tax-exempt entities could get involved in activism. I'm not sure, though.

Any churches that tries to effect an election should lose their tax exempt status

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Of course for Christians the issue becomes do I pray for God's kingdom to come or do I make a kingdom of my own making?

I can't speak for Christians, but from my encounters I've observed that many would like to try to spreads their interpretation of God's word to others, whether that be through social, political, and or economic means. Sometimes that means working at soup kitchens, sometimes that means promoting government assistance for the needy, sometimes (sadly) that means outlawing homosexuality and dancing.

Jesus himself was not apolitical. He didn't necessarily try to change governments with political means, but through a (I think) radical, social message that extolled the virtues of the poor and condemned the sins of the greedy. The political implications in that message are obvious.

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Any churches that tries to effect an election should lose their tax exempt status

That's a seperate issue. I don't know how I feel about that. Many churches are charitable organizations. Unfortunately, many churches and church leaders exploit their tax exempt status and their roles as spiritual authorities to get absurdly rich (Benny Hinn, for example). As it is, I don't see where the right to become involved in political life is dependent on the payment of taxes. It could be an interesting thread.

This issue did come up before: http://www.extremeskins.com/forums/showthread.php?t=234338&highlight=tax+exempt+church

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I can't speak for Christians, but from my encounters I've observed that many would like to try to spreads their interpretation of God's word to others, whether that be through social, political, and or economic means. Sometimes that means working at soup kitchens, sometimes that means promoting government assistance for the needy, sometimes (sadly) that means outlawing homosexuality and dancing.

Jesus himself was not apolitical. He didn't necessarily try to change governments with political means, but through a (I think) radical, social message that extolled the virtues of the poor and condemned the sins of the greedy. The political implications in that message are obvious.

Helping other is not political, and if God wanted morality dictated through laws we would all still live Israel under the law code, but that ended with Jesus.

Jesus preached what had already been there in many cases in the law

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Helping other is not political, and if God wanted morality dictated through laws we would all still live Israel under the law code, but that ended with Jesus.

Jesus preached what had already been there in many cases in the law

Jesus didn't simply preach "helping others." He made clear his disdain for the ruling class, which were wealthy landowners. The laws of Jews were not the laws of the Romans.

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Jesus didn't simply preach "helping others." He made clear his disdain for the ruling class, which were wealthy landowners. The laws of Jews were not the laws of the Romans.

Jesus did not disdain the rich, he had rich people who listened to him, his disdain was for those who interfered with ability of people to worship, by either burdening the people with excessive laws or ripping them off in the temple

Actually you see in the book of acts people selling their land and donating to the congregation to help others, so Jesus attracted land owers too

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Jesus did not disdain the rich, he had rich people who listened to him, his disdain was for those who interfered with ability of people to worship, by either burdening the people with excessive laws or ripping them off in the temple

Actually you see in the book of acts people selling their land and donating to the congregation to help others, so Jesus attracted land owers too

How does this refute what I said? You said that people sold and donated their land to serve God and others, not themselves, and not the wealthy, landowning ruling class.

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How does this refute what I said? You said that people sold and donated their land to serve God and others, not themselves, and not the wealthy, landowning ruling class.

Yeah because a famine arose, not because it was a sin to be rich, it means they held lands after conversion and were attracted to the message he preached.

By the way under Israel all lands stayed in a family

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I guess Obama does not agree with you

CNN is breaking the story that Obama has resigned from his church (of 20 years)

I see the announcement on TV...but not online at CNN

http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/isaacmadengu/gGBysP

Good. Now he needs to condemn that self hating white preacher who feels I owe someone money for what happend hundreds of years ago.

I will be very interested in how this crazy Catholic Priest feels now that he caused Obama to denounce his Church.

This bothered me a whole lot more than Wright.

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