A reader passed along a September 22 LA Times article entitled, "All Saints Episcopal Church Won't Comply With IRS Probe: Pasadena's All Saints Episcopal parish board challenges a request to turn over documents in a case over a 2004 antiwar sermon."
I imagine that for the reader, as for me, this raises lots of issues: Can the IRS (the state) interfere with a parish (the church)? If people of faith feel called upon to stand together against war, torture, racism, and similar depradations imposed by a political party or candidate, do they deserve to lose their tax-exempt status in the United States?
The law seems pretty clear: Churches can't endorse candidates or parties, nor can they oppose them. But, as All Saints Reverend Ed Bacon said, "The Episcopal faith calls us to speak to the issues of war and poverty, bigotry, torture, and all forms of terrorism." Rabbi Steven Jacobs of Temple Kol Tikvah supported Bacon, saying, "There seems to be an assault upon the pulpit, and it seems to fit a pattern of focusing on those challenging our administration."
Not being religious myself, I feel free to speak out against intimidation, a tactic long practiced by the Bush administration to silence the public and strong-arm the (not so reluctant) press to print its lies as news. We must challenge every assumption about what gets printed and spoken by the administration for most of it is now proven to be untrue and the rest of it is debatable. In our little local skirmish over two new Homeland Security initiative--the vastly increased Border Patrol presence and Cost Guard gunfire exercises near the Grand Marais harbor--people of good will should keeping asking questions and demanding accurate answers.
Homeland Security has now taken over all 22 federal agencies concerned with defense. It's stated agenda is to fight terrorism. People, we need to ask, where are the terrorists? Not a solitary one has been founding lurking on or near American soil.
True
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