Trump’s address to faith leaders came as the administration cracks down on USA policy for admitting refugees and after Trump nominated a justice for the Supreme Court, Appeals Court Judge Neil Gorsuch, that he has promised is opposed to abortion.
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Define religious organizations to include any groups founded on religious principles-not only churches and charitable groups. The benefit of 501 (c) 3 status is that in addition to the organization being tax exempt, donors may also take a tax deduction for their contributions to the organization.
The amendment, however, does not restrict clergy from openly discussing political issues and expressing political beliefs with their congregations.
“Churches can speak on issues”. As the old hymn says, “Everybody talkin” “bout heaven ain’t goin’ there”, and politicians’ motives are often more strategic than spiritual.
While the current majority party might want to push its values into practice, majority parties often become the minority party in the next political cycle.
He’s also vowing to sign a bill to partially eliminate the division between church and state.
He outlined the severity of threats to religious freedom around the world: “We have seen peace-loving Muslims brutalized, victimized, murdered, and oppressed by ISIS killers”. Political donors in search of a deduction would find willing churches and use them to fund political activity.
Repealing the Johnson Amendment would allow pastors to endorse candidates from the pulpit.
But according to the Washington Post, the Internal Revenue Service has been lax on investigating churches that don’t abide by the amendment.
Organizations claiming tax-exempt status can not collect contributions on behalf of political campaigns or make any statement for or against a particular candidate.
The Johnson Amendment is technically part of the tax code, so if Trump wants to remove it, it will take an act of Congress to do so.
Amid criticism of Friday’s executive order suspending the US refugee program and restricting travel from seven mostly Muslim countries, Trump said his administration is developing a new screening system so that those who want to spread violence and intolerance are not admitted. He says he’s not sure how church’s claims of intimidation hold up.
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He blasted the terrorism that religious minorities face in some parts of the world, said we “must never, ever” stop asking God for wisdom, and declared that America will flourish “when religious liberty can flourish”.
