Silencing the church
There have been a couple of hints of how the voice of the church will be silenced by government groups for speaking on moral issues.
For example, the lay group "Catholic Answers" was reported to the IRS because it printed a "Voters guide" on Catholic issues (without naming names). They were eventually cleared of this charge, but the IRS decided that when they sent an email in 2004 suggesting that Senator Kerry should not receive communion, (i.e. without mentioning that you shouldn't vote for him) it was being political, so they were fined. But we all know the "sin" of Catholic Answers: it's anti abortion stance. And they are now counter suing the IRS for harassment.
If the elites of the country have decided that the issues such as abortion or gay marriage are merely "political" issues, they can report you to the IRS, and even if you are not guilty, you are punished.
To do this, they use "astroturf" organizations (i.e. organizations that appear to be grass roots organizations but are actually started and funded by those with a political agenda, and actually have few real members except for professional activists). For example, the complaints against Catholic Answers was done by "Catholics for Free Choice".
What people don't realize is that the cost and emotional strain of a lawsuit, which can go on for years and cost an organization hundreds of thousands of dollars, is enough to dampen the will of most pastors and bishops to speak on serious moral issues.
But the state of Connecticut has gone one step further.
Awhile back the state legislature tried to pass a bill mandating that "lay" groups take over the finances of the Catholic church.
This obvious threat against the church's independence and the First Amendment was withdrawn after a lot of bad publicity.
But during the threat, the local churches encouraged their parishioners to demonstrate against the bill, and some even hired buses to help their parishioners to do so.
Ah HA!. A "gotcha" moment.
The state of Connecticut now is saying that this action (on which was spent a measly $8000 dollars)and the fact that their website asked people to write the legislature to oppose a gay marriage bill means that the diocese is now to be considered as a lobby, since by law any "organization" that spends over $2000 dollars petitioning the legislature is a Lobbying organization and has to register with the state and submit frequent reports on every contact with the legislature. Anyone who was "lobbying" would have to identify themselves by wearing a badge. And the Church could be fined if the office of ethics received enough complaints about the church illegally lobbying for political issues.
But, unlike other "lobbies", this is assuming the Catholic church is an organization, not a group with 87 parishes and over 400 thousand members. This fact led Tim Carney at the Washington Examiner muse that if the law stands, it would mean that every priest giving a sermon would have to wear a button saying "Lobbyist" if he spoke on moral issues from the pulpit, and mused who was going to monitor every Sunday mass to see that their rules are enforced?
Supposedly, the Catholic church is protected by the first amendment, but of course this means taking it to Federal court and spending a lot of money to pay lawyers: money that could better be spent elsewhere.
Nor does the threat against the First Amendment stop there: Fox News reports that one local radio host, Harold Turner, who publicized the issue, wrote on his blog that people should "take up arms" and "make an example" of those sponsoring the bill was arrested for inciting violence, even though these phrases are usually taken to mean take up signs in a demonstration, or make an example of them by removing them from office.
So how does the saying go?
First they came for the Catholics, then they came for the radio hosts, and then they came for...well, I don't know.
But if I owned one of those small Christian radio stations that are all over the AM dial, I'd be worried.
---------
thanks for the headsup from GetReligion Blog.
For example, the lay group "Catholic Answers" was reported to the IRS because it printed a "Voters guide" on Catholic issues (without naming names). They were eventually cleared of this charge, but the IRS decided that when they sent an email in 2004 suggesting that Senator Kerry should not receive communion, (i.e. without mentioning that you shouldn't vote for him) it was being political, so they were fined. But we all know the "sin" of Catholic Answers: it's anti abortion stance. And they are now counter suing the IRS for harassment.
If the elites of the country have decided that the issues such as abortion or gay marriage are merely "political" issues, they can report you to the IRS, and even if you are not guilty, you are punished.
To do this, they use "astroturf" organizations (i.e. organizations that appear to be grass roots organizations but are actually started and funded by those with a political agenda, and actually have few real members except for professional activists). For example, the complaints against Catholic Answers was done by "Catholics for Free Choice".
What people don't realize is that the cost and emotional strain of a lawsuit, which can go on for years and cost an organization hundreds of thousands of dollars, is enough to dampen the will of most pastors and bishops to speak on serious moral issues.
But the state of Connecticut has gone one step further.
Awhile back the state legislature tried to pass a bill mandating that "lay" groups take over the finances of the Catholic church.
This obvious threat against the church's independence and the First Amendment was withdrawn after a lot of bad publicity.
But during the threat, the local churches encouraged their parishioners to demonstrate against the bill, and some even hired buses to help their parishioners to do so.
Ah HA!. A "gotcha" moment.
The state of Connecticut now is saying that this action (on which was spent a measly $8000 dollars)and the fact that their website asked people to write the legislature to oppose a gay marriage bill means that the diocese is now to be considered as a lobby, since by law any "organization" that spends over $2000 dollars petitioning the legislature is a Lobbying organization and has to register with the state and submit frequent reports on every contact with the legislature. Anyone who was "lobbying" would have to identify themselves by wearing a badge. And the Church could be fined if the office of ethics received enough complaints about the church illegally lobbying for political issues.
But, unlike other "lobbies", this is assuming the Catholic church is an organization, not a group with 87 parishes and over 400 thousand members. This fact led Tim Carney at the Washington Examiner muse that if the law stands, it would mean that every priest giving a sermon would have to wear a button saying "Lobbyist" if he spoke on moral issues from the pulpit, and mused who was going to monitor every Sunday mass to see that their rules are enforced?
Supposedly, the Catholic church is protected by the first amendment, but of course this means taking it to Federal court and spending a lot of money to pay lawyers: money that could better be spent elsewhere.
Nor does the threat against the First Amendment stop there: Fox News reports that one local radio host, Harold Turner, who publicized the issue, wrote on his blog that people should "take up arms" and "make an example" of those sponsoring the bill was arrested for inciting violence, even though these phrases are usually taken to mean take up signs in a demonstration, or make an example of them by removing them from office.
So how does the saying go?
First they came for the Catholics, then they came for the radio hosts, and then they came for...well, I don't know.
But if I owned one of those small Christian radio stations that are all over the AM dial, I'd be worried.
---------
thanks for the headsup from GetReligion Blog.
posted by boinky at
6:51 AM
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