Dear editor,
Amendment I of the Bill of Rights states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;”
Congress passes an income tax law that is inclusive to everyone, including the church. Then gives the church an exemption to the tax law to make the law constitutional.
Then the IRS threatens the church with losing its tax exempt status if the church preaches politics endorsing a candidate from the pulpit of the church. So if the church does endorse a candidate, it will now be exposed to a tax law that never should have included the church in the first place.
Has government violated our Constitution and the churches’ rights not to have a law passed that includes the church?
Absolutely, it has violated our Constitution!
Has the IRS violated the Supreme Court's ruling in regard to "a separation of church and state" if it revokes the church's tax exemption exposing the church to the income tax law?
Again, absolutely.
Is the Supreme Court's ruling of "a separation of church and state" a constitutional ruling now seen as law, which follows our Constitution?
No, because it places a limitation on the church to actively participate in the guidance of our government!
Read my book, "Four Branches of Government in Our Founding Fathers' Words," for more.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: LETTER: Violating our constitution