IRS clears Obama's Christian denomination
By Steve Benen Friday May 23, 2008 2:45pmFederal tax law, as it relates to tax-exempt religious ministries, is pretty clear — houses of worship may not legally intervene in political campaigns, either in support of or opposition to a candidate or a party. Those that violate the law run the risk of losing their tax-exempt status.
Once in a great while, unfortunately, the Internal Revenue Service launches investigations of ministries that don’t appear to have violated the law at all. This happened earlier this year when the IRS went after the United Church of Christ — the entire 1.2 million-member denomination, not just one congregation — after Barack Obama spoke at the UCC’s annual convention.
Today, cooler heads prevailed, and the church was cleared of any wrongdoing.
Today the United Church of Christ, the national church to which presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama belongs, announced that the Internal Revenue Service has found “that the activity about which we had concern did not constitute … a violation of the requirements of the requirements of section 501(c)(3).”
The “concern” that apparently launched the investigation stemmed from a speech Senator Obama gave to the UCC General Synod, the all-church gathering held every two years, during the church’s fiftieth anniversary celebration.
In other words, the UCC received a complete and clean review.
General Minister and President Rev. John Thomas said, “While I was never really concerned that any violations would be noted, I am gratified both with the speed of the review and the endorsement of the way in which we carried out Senator Obama’s visit.”
I’m still curious about how and why this investigation was launched in the first place, and I can’t help but wonder if partisan considerations were a driving factor.
While church probes are not especially uncommon, it’s rather extraordinary for the IRS to go after an entire denomination. That this denomination happens to be Obama’s, and this happens to be an election year, raises some suspicion.
Indeed, for the IRS to take such an unusual step, you’d think that the UCC’s conduct must have been extraordinarily controversial. But therein lies the rub: by all appearances, the UCC didn’t come close to running afoul of tax law.
Remember, the law says a ministry can’t “intervene” in a campaign. So, what happened in this case? The United Church of Christ, like many Protestant denominations, held an annual meeting. The UCC invited Obama, the Christian church’s most high-profile member, to speak about his perspective on the role of faith in public life, which he did.
Did Obama use his appearance as a campaign event? No. Did UCC officials use the opportunity to endorse his campaign? No. Did anything happen at the conference that amounted to “intervention” in a political campaign? Apparently not. In fact, church officials checked with counsel beforehand, just to make sure this wouldn’t be a legal problem.
What we’re left with is an awkward set of circumstances — in an election year, the Bush administration’s IRS investigated a liberal denomination for allowing the Democratic frontrunner to give a non-partisan speech.
Now, obviously, with this morning’s announcement in mind, everything worked out and the UCC is in the clear. But it might be nice to know why the IRS started this investigation in the first place. Was the decision made by a Bush political appointee?
The evidence against the UCC was so thin, it’s hard not to question what prompted this probe. Maybe some enterprising Democratic lawmaker could ask the IRS for an explanation?
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I wonder who charged UCC to begin with, also how does this reflect on the past endorsements of other politicians such McCain from Hagee and Parsley.
eric @ 1:
It's pretty obvious that a GOP lacky attacked the UCC for political reasons and that Hagee and Parsley's Denominations will never be charged with any sort of misconduct because the GOP likes them.
What difference does it make where a religious leader endorses a candidate. It doen not matter if that preacher does it in his own church or outside, his followers will listen to him wherever that preacher might be. Why can the gov't just tax their asses off already! They are the ones infiltrating our government, so why can't they pay taxes.
Conservative religious-right churches have done far worse (actually promoting a candidate, not just having a candidate speak). But who gets the attention of the IRS?
At what point do they start to investigate all of the Christian Conservative churches? Oh, right...they don't.
I'd luv to see the varied religions have to pay taxes. They can have their write offs, Charity, in house expenses, all the regular write offs. It would be nice to see their books.
Partisan politics involved? I rather think so. Hagee is frequently talking politics and yet it is 'hands-off' for him.
What I find amusing is the [inability of some posters to understand what posting 'On topic' means. Are you having trouble finding anything about this elsewhere? Here's a thought...try the open thread. Deleted-Sitemonitor]
Every single church should pay taxes. There's no legit reason why a corporation (and yes, churches are businesses like anything else) should be tax-exempt.
If you want to give to charity, you can get a tax exemption for donating to charity. Otherwise, taxes should be paid.
Billions of dollars of tax dollars we could get... slipping through the fingers...
The evidence against the UCC was so thin, it’s hard not to question what prompted this probe.
"What prompted this"?! Are you freakin' kiddin' me?! Have you learned NOTHING, young Jedi, from the past eight years?!
Now if we can just start taxing churches things will improve. Anything we can do to penalize people for embracing the irrational!!!!!
i used to be a deacon(ess) in a ucc denomination (a church in new england that used to be congegationalist). the ucc synod is made up of *many* different christian denominations. the unifying concepts are that of acceptance, love, tolerance, and helping. we accept all regardless of race or sexual orientation, in either lay or clerical positions. i think it's self explanatory why this administration had the ucc investigated and not right wing churchs that do the same.
Don't we tax other opiates and establishments where you buy/do them? Drop the opiate tax.
I don't mean to be off topic, but why is Crooks and Liars behind the power curve on Hillary's latest verbal slip-up?
Just found out while writing this comment that Hillary repeated the same thing 3 times, so it wasn't a slip-up! Do I need to state what it was that she repeated that finally got her in hot water, or are you gonna tell your readers, John?
Tax all churches. No exceptions.
While it is most likely Rove and his friends initiated this, one can not eliminate Clinton as a prospect. Oh yeah, that would still qualify as Rove and his friends.
Their is no need to wonder Steve, we have seen the federal governments abuse of power grow into nothing more than a tool for the use of who ever is in office at the time. One would have to be young and strong to even shake a stick at all the cases in which things like this have happened. When did this country become a nation of rule of law of convenience and advancement? How much better this world would be if we could rid ourselves of the percentage of people who live for nothing else but to rule the rest at any cost. Just tip your ass hats to the weasels when you see them folks.---CEO
McCain the Liar @ 15:
Tax for atheism no exceptions.
Yes that was sarcasm.
As if facts will ever stop conservatives from believing their home-grown lies.
"I’m still curious about how and why this investigation was launched in the first place, and I can’t help but wonder if partisan considerations were a driving factor."
I hate to be rude... but DUHHHH
ALL Saints' Church was investigated for an anti-war sermon too...Yet Hagee and Parsley remain free to spew their hate and their political hackery...
Boy, it sure is fun watching all those fat, gay, pasty looking white honkies getting their boxers up in a crunch over a intelligent, well educated, well spoken black man that's been putting their War Hero Candidate and Goober-Boy President to shame lately! They'll be getting more desperate as election time nears, as the lies, smears and swift-boating increase! However I don't believe the swift-boating will work this time around, as there're too many "open tubes' in the "Internets" now!
I wonder how much this little fishing expedition cost the taxpayers. Does Rev. Wright drive around in Bentleys? Do any of the affilitiated pastors live lives of luxury ala Oral Roberts and James Dobson? Is a general call for taxing all churches warranted or are there very small minds that haunt this site too!
what about all the churches bush spoke at when he was running for office???
ps: FREE WESLEY SNIPES
you can bet your house that the IRS has not investigated
dobbs, hagee, parsley or pat robertson.
and they have publicly spoken in violation of federal laws
on politics.
some more of that gop reichwingneocon favoritism.
I realize this analysis of the recent controversies about Obama, McCain, and Wright, Hagee & Parsley is from the Licentiously Liberal New York Times ..
Nonetheless this one sentence caught my attention:
News Analysis: Spotlight Recasts Church Leaders and Their Support
Has the NY Times committed libel?
Or the IRS failed to investigate?
Enquiring minds want to know !!
The IRS has had plenty of cause to investigate any number of conservative churches whose pastors have pushed right wing politics and endorsed Republican candidates for quite some time. Isn't it interesting that's it's always the more liberal churches that get investigated. Obviously, folks on the right on lodging these complaints while they get away with it all the time. I'm wondering when our government has ever been more corrupt.
Christianity is just another business. Have you seen how some of these men of faith live? Tax these charlatans through the fucking nose.
It's not clear to me what you mean by "unfortunately". Is it unfortunate that they launch investigations of ministries or is it unfortunate that it is only once in a great while? I certainly hope it is the later. It's quite clear to me this is one part of the IRS's job they don't take very seriously.
That may be true, but how often does a denomination at an anual meeting invite a presidential canditate to speak to all the ministers? This wasn't one church that was at fault, it was an entire denomination.
I'm an Obama backer and I'm glad the IRS did it's job for once. Instead of coming off like a whiner you could have done a little digging and given examples of churches that weren't investigated for partisan promotion. There are thousands of those.
Was this a repug dirty trick to plant a seed of doubt in people's minds about the validity of Obama's tactics in this election? Damn straight it was. Should Barak have spoken at an anual meeting of his church in an election year? No! It was wasn't going to win him any votes he wasn't already going to get and it was low hanging fruit for the thugs that run this country like a crime cyndicate.
Instead of crying foul, why don't we take this as an opportunity to visit our local reich wing churches and synogogs in the coming months and video/audio tape sermons we know are going to be breaking the law. Then send your tape into the IRS and demand they investigate the tax exempt status of that place. My guess is you won't have to travel very far to find one of these places of "worship".
I'm a member of the UCC. I was a delegate at the General Synod in Hartford last year and was present when Senator Obama gave his speech. The speech was 100% focused on what drew him to the United Church of Christ and how his 20+ years in this very social justice focused denomination has influenced his public service.
One other thing that should be mentioned is that Obama was invited to speak at the 50th anniversary Synod A FULL YEAR BEFORE he declared his candidacy for president. He WAS NOT invited because he was a presidential candidate because he wasn't one at the time he was invited. The main thing that drew interest to having him speak before the denomination was his inspirational key note address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. As a longtime member of the UCC the national church felt that it was perfectly reasonable and acceptable to have him speak (as a Senator) to HIS OWN denomination on their 50 year anniversary.
Bill Moyers, another long time member, also gave a key note speech to tell us to stand proud and strong as a voice of moral indignation against a political system and society that has lost its way help the wildly rich at the expense of the poor, targeting vulnerable minorities like African-Americans and GLBT people, waging immoral, illegal wars based on lies etc, etc, etc. Our denomination has taken a very loud and public stand against these shameful legacies and we have been targeted by the right wing, the government and other Christian denominations for having the audacity to think that "CHRISTIAN" means living by the words, life and examples of CHRIST.
BOTH speeches were AWESOME and I'm glad I had the privilege to hear them both.
The Catholic Church tried to throw the 2004 election against one of its own members. They should lose tax-exempt status for that. Come to think of it, the Vatican is a country. That also makes it foreign intervention in a national election.
I'm certain the Bush administration has been using the IRS as a political tool since they got in office. They've done it with every other agency. It's become like a totalitarian state, when every part of government is used to harass and intimidate innocent organizations and citizens.
KansasCityFaGt @ 28:
You assume that because some X are doing wrong that all X are doing wrong.
This kind of thinking has lead to some of the worst events in human history.
Tax those bums.
Gee, FOX news has been telling us that Obama is a Muslim anyway, so what does it matter if the IRS has cleared the UCC?
CD @ 33:
No, what KansasCityFaGt was wrong about was singling out just the Chri$tians. EVERY successful religion is a major global enterprise. They should all be taxed as such. I don't care how many people you help, if you make a profit, you are by definition a FOR profit organization.
Just Hussein Of It @ 36:
You know so little about Christianity it's amazing.
You seem to think every Congragation not only has a Church where they meet but a minister that doesn't have any income outside of that which comes to him through the Church.
Not only that but you assume that they live well off this money.
CD @ 33:
e
Churches are tax free corporations formed for the benefit of the wealthy who own them.
Religious faith is used by the church owners against the unthinking who believe it. Belief in a god is wholly irrational and intellectually indefensible.
Any anti social behavior like this should be either illegal or taxed out of existence. Like cigarettes!
I’m still curious about how and why this investigation was launched in the first place, and I can’t help but wonder if partisan considerations were a driving factor.
Of course they were. Were it the Bible Church of the Blood of Jesus and East Overshoe Snake Tossing Society, you don't really think the order would come down to find out why Pastor Billy Bob Ray Joe wore a Bush/Cheney tee shirt in the pulpit while telling his flock they'd spend eeeeeternity in Hell should they vote for Gore in 2000 or Kerry in 2004.
I have a feeling Jesus might come back to us....hopefully in the guise of an IRS agent.
i had forgotten about this case, when, about a week ago, while visiting with my mom and oldest sister - a deeply religious catholic ditto head - she agreed with me that politics had no business being in the churches... i thought "whoa", but didn't want to break the spell with any further comment...
now i get it... oh well... this is good news...
i never understood the charge anyway, obviously politacally motivated... bogus.
he didn't speak in a church at a religious service... simple.
thanks for that great first hand story, zeke @30...
All Saints Church & the IRS
On Oct. 31, 2004, on the eve of the presidential election, guest preacher George Regas took to the pulpit at All Saint's Church in Pasadena, Ca., and issued a sermon describing a hypothetical conversation between Jesus, President George Bush and Sen. John Kerry. That sermon sparked an IRS investigation of the church.
I am just wondering if there is any logical justification for letting churches continue to go untaxed. Surely, at the beginning, they must have been left untaxed as a trade off. I am no historian, but certainly the union of the colonies was tenuous, at best, and I think we can see now that the Christians would not have stopped at siding with the crown to keep power. It's clear implicitly from looking at what the founders said that there was a deal. You churches stay out of government. We politicians will stay out of religion. But it's clear that churches don't have any intention of staying out of government. If you'll pardon the expression, to HELL with them. And while we're at it, can someone explain to me why we are supposed to be tolerant of people about their odious religions as if it were some genetic trait that they can't do anything about? It's not like a little logic and standards of evidence would not clear up the whole religion problem like a ointment clearing up a rash. If someone chooses to go around with a hideous rash, I think it's my prerogative to point. They've been telling me the most disgusting things since I was a child. Like God will strike me dead. Like I will burn in Hell. Imagine threatening a child like that. The sick thing is that when I finally do die, hopefully in my 90s, there will be some religious freak there to say God finally did strike me dead, and so it goes. Atheists should show some courage and admit that you think religious people are inferior, weakling intellects, hobbled by years of carefully applied brain binding. Stop humoring their delusions. You're better than they are. Speak up and tell them to pay their taxes like you do.
I agree. when did the first amendment exempt them.
Just Hussein Of It @ 36:
I don't know about others, but my church is hardly a "global enterprise". We have a building that we paid for. We have a pastor who is far from living a fat life. We get full financial accounting on a monthly basis and spend every bit of extra to directly help people here in the US who are in need with food, clothing, home repairs and medical care. There are no "administrative costs" taken out of that charity to pay for the secretary who writes the check because there is no secretary. You won't find a private jet or a 'parsonage' that is worth millions. And we're not affiliated with a denomination or other churches - we're on our own. By the way, we firmly believe in separation of church and state. We want no politics in our church and don't want the government sticking their nose in our business either.
So we're not "global" nor do we have any profit to show. Taxing us would be less money for those in need. So who gets screwed again? That little guy in the little town who lost his job, has a sick wife and 2 kids. The same guy the government always screws. Tax us all if you will, but first take a look at Hagee, Falwell, Osteen and how much money the Catholics are sending over to the Vatican. But until that is done, leave those few of us who just want to live simply, worship as we choose and do good for our neighbors alone.
meh @ 24:
I've been wondering that myself. His ass was glued to a pew almost weekly during both of his campaigns. Funny how quickly it came unglued when he was appointed to office. Both times.
eric @ 1:
Actually, there are pretty strong hints within the denomination that this was an inside job: that someone inside the UCC -- angry with the denomination's political tendencies -- turned the General Synod in to the IRS. That the investigation was as public as it was, that is the political part of it, I think.
This is the best thing they could do, even though it has always been our laws. We have far too much other crap to deal with, then all this religious mess that simply over shadows issues that need our attention.
The real reason is McCain is not a real big church going fellow.
Churches should voluntarily renounce their tax free status. It is that regulation that allows the government to actually control what churches may say and do. This 'tax free status' is simply a way for the churches to maintain their Constantinian Christian kowtowing to the Empire - the Empire of the USA rather than the Roman Empire under which Constantinian Christianity replaced the real thing.
Churches betray the Gospel of Jesus of Nazareth when they cease to speak for the poor, the oppressed, the exploited and the marginalized. They cannot preach the Gospel when they are beholden to the Empire for their money. Most churches, especially the so-called evangelical and fundamentalist churches are little more than handmaidens to Empire and Imperial values: War, Victory, the Peace through death and conquest.
Here is a conspiracy theory - IRS goes after wrights church - Wright embarrasses Obama and forces Obama do denounce him - IRS calls off investigation - I may be paranoid, but that is the way Republicans work....
Growing up in small town Wisconsin, our pastor (Lutheran, Missouri Synod) repeatedly endorsed Reagan, then Bush I, from the pulpit! I was too young to remember '76. I am sure this happened all over rural America and this was a direct result of the Republican strategy to court and frame the Christian "conservatives" as Republicans. It looks like this era of Christians identifying themselves as Republicans is finally coming to an end.
Gretchen @ 45:
I too find the idea that all Ministers are living rich lives while victimizing the poor to be insulting.
At my Congragation our minister drives a used car and while I haven't seen his home personally I can't imagine the uber liberals in our congragation would look the other way if he was living in a mansion.
Further more I know enough about his day to day living to be aware that he doesn't just work 1 day a week he works 5-7 days a week at soup kitchens, retirement homes, hospitals, peace rally's, bible studies, homeless shelters, humanitarian fund raisers, etc.
Yet some people think that the government would make better use of the donations he's given than he does.
considering that part of running for office in Texas is visiting and talking at churches and that I've never once heard of such a talk being directly followed by an IRS investigation, yeah, it wouldn't surprise me if this was the idea of some jerk in the white house.
37 CD Says
I remember several years ago, while doing research for a horror novel I was working on, I visited an Anglican Catholic Church for awhile, despite my being Wiccaen. I never told the reverend what I was doing there other than attending services. It did kind of bother him that I never took communion or expressed an interest in doing so. (I would've had to let him know I was raised a Mormon, which would require a "valid" baptism, and that I was excommunicated by my request, and by my expression of "heretical" views in my letter expressing my interest. I would also have to declare a belief in transubstantiation, unlike the English church.)
Anywho I once asked the father if he worked outside the church, and he said no, it was a full time job, and mentioned that it didn't even pay him enough to afford a new pair of shoes. So for the Christmas about a year or so after our conversation, I anonymously left a gift certficate for dress shoes.
Eventually I'll get around to editing my book, but it was around 650 handwritten pages, but I don't know how many in my computer. I'm having to transfer the book between computers, and those who have read bits of it thought it was borderline pornographic.
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