From: Tim May <tcmay@got.net>
Date: Wed, 5 Nov 1997 13:31:55 +0800
To: cypherpunks@Algebra.COM
Subject: Re: Taxing Churches for their views? Bad idea.
In-Reply-To: <199711050422.FAA04318@basement.replay.com>
Message-ID: <v03102804b085a39979d4@[207.167.93.63]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



At 9:22 PM -0700 11/4/97, Anonymous wrote:

>  I feel that Tim is correct, in terms of "opinions," but the Christian
>political agenda goes beyond 'opinions' and into the realm of political
>activism which is regulated by law.

It shouldn't be. "Political activism" is speech. And "Congress shall make
no law...."

The First doesn't say that Congress gets to restrict some kinds of
"political activism" (assuming it is speech, writing, etc., and not
invading property, extortion, etc.).

This is why "campaign spending limits" are thought by many constitutional
scholars and all libertarians to be unconstitutional. If Bill Gates wants
to spend his money talking about how great gun control is, no one can stop
him.

(The current "campaign financing laws" are already afoul of the First. They
may eventually be challenged and, I hope, struck down.)

Needless to say, telling churches what they can say and cannot say is a
slam dunk violation of the First.



>  It is a fact that the Moral Majority/Christian Right/Felons For Jesus,
>etc., make no bones about using their tax-deductible resources to mount
>political campaigns that illegally skirt the rules pertaining to the
>direct support of political parties and candidates.

So? Then change the tax laws for _all_ religions, churches, creeds, and cults.

As for the Christian Right lobbying, what of the Christian *Left* lobbying
for the Sanctuary Movement, the anti-Sandinista side, against the Viet Nam
war, etc.? Those Berrigan brothers and their antiwar rhetoric...surely that
was enough to cause the Catholic Church to be "taxed into penury"? Or the
liberal pinko commie jew Quakers...too bad Nixon wasn't able to shut those
pinko fags down (er, I guess Nixon _was_ a Quaker...never mind).

I think you should see where this is all going. Shut down the Buddhists for
protesting the Viet Nam War. Shut down the Baptists for arguing against
abortion. Where would it end?

Fortunately, we have the First.

--Tim May

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