Rebel Pastors Endorsing John McCain From the Pulpit
The Washington Post reported yesterday that thirty-three renegade Christian pastors, following in the proud tradition of civil rights activists across the world, participated in a coordinated effort to exercise their freedoms of religion and speech in the face of an oppressive federal law taking away those rights.
By endorsing John McCain…
Defying a federal law that prohibits U.S. clergy from endorsing political candidates from the pulpit, an evangelical Christian minister told his congregation Sunday that voting for Sen. Barack Obama would be evidence of "severe moral schizophrenia."
The Rev. Ron Johnson Jr. told worshipers that the Democratic presidential nominee's positions on abortion and gay partnerships exist "in direct opposition to God's truth as He has revealed it in the Scriptures…"
Asked why he felt the need to discuss the candidates by name and to be explicit in rejecting Obama and his pro-choice views, Johnson said he must connect the dots because he is not sure that all members of his congregation can do so on their own.
The problem is, the federal law that Johnson and his 32 collaborators are challenging doesn't actually ban them from making endorsements from the pulpit. It simply takes away their tax-exempt status with the IRS. If they want to be partisan political associations, all they need to do is pay their taxes like everyone else, and they're good to go.
Anyway, if Johnson thinks his congregation is too stupid to figure out the policy positions of the presidential candidates, maybe he should be giving sermons on a more relevant topic.
Like how to read.
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If voting for Obama is "severe moral schizophrenia," then voting for McCain is severe amoral psychosis with existentialist tendencies. Also consider, bipolar disorder, Stockholm's Syndrome, and mental retardation.
During the last election I protested against our priest by walking out of the church during mass for endorsing George Bush II. Look what happened there…. I even called the Diocese because I thought at that time it was against the Separation of Church and State, however I was told that he was within his rights. I felt really bad about voting for Kerry, but that was my "conscience." Now we are being told in mass to make sure we vote the "right way", not voting for anyone who is not anti abortion. Guess we just don't vote at all.
Someone wake me up when these guys realize that Christian values encompasses more than hating gays and abortion. Alternately, wake me when these guys start quoting the Beatitudes of Christ more than the Old Testament.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-f-kennedy-jr/governor-palins-reading-l_b_126478.html
Why hasn't anyone mentioned the inappropriateness of Palin using a quote from a racist during her acceptance speech?
Another reason ministers should not be endorsing McCain from the pulpit!! I think they should definitely lose their tax-exempt status.
Haha! Wow, well if you're looking to lose your tax-exempt status this is a sure fire way to do it. People will report them to the IRS out of spite.
Being an evangelical Christian minister is evidence of severe moral schizophrenia.