{"id":21,"date":"2008-08-22T11:07:34","date_gmt":"2008-08-22T11:07:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/lynnvsekulow\/2008\/08\/religion-and-politics-the-rest.html"},"modified":"2008-08-22T11:07:34","modified_gmt":"2008-08-22T11:07:34","slug":"religion-and-politics-the-rest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/2008\/08\/religion-and-politics-the-rest.html","title":{"rendered":"Religion and Politics: The Rest of the Story"},"content":{"rendered":"

The trends that Barry cited are interesting, but the Pew Research poll <\/a>has other important findings that should be noted:<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/font>         <\/span><\/span><\/span>“Roughly comparable numbers say political leaders express their religious beliefs too much (29%), too little (36%) or the right amount (28%)”;<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/font>         <\/span><\/span><\/span>“Compared with 2004, there has been a slight increase among the public overall in the number saying there has been too little religious talk from politicians (36% now vs. 31% in 2004), and a ten point increase among Republicans taking this point of view (46% now compared with 36% in 2004)”;<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/font>         <\/span><\/span><\/span>Those who are comfortable with politicians discussing how religious they are still outnumber those who are not;<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/font>         <\/span><\/span><\/span>“An overwhelming majority of the public continues to say that it is important to them that a president have strong religious beliefs. More than seven-in-ten Americans express this opinion, and attitudes on this issue have not changed in recent years”;<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/font>         <\/span><\/span><\/span>“People who view a party as unfriendly toward religion tend to express unfavorable views of that party, while those who see a party as neutral or friendly toward religion are much more positively inclined toward that party overall”;<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/font>         <\/span><\/span><\/span>“As has been the case throughout the campaign, [religious group] engagement with the current election is considerably higher than in previous years. . . . This increased engagement cuts across most religious groups”;<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/font>         <\/span><\/span><\/span>“[T]here is little to suggest that social conservatives want religion to be a less important element in American politics”;<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/font>         <\/span><\/span><\/span>“Social issues, and especially the question of moral values, are more important for white evangelicals than for other voters: 77% say moral values will be very important to their vote, and 54% say this about abortion”;<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

\u00b7<\/font>         <\/span><\/span><\/span>“67% say they favor allowing churches and other houses of worship to apply, along with other organizations, for government funding to provide social services, such as job training or drug treatment counseling, to those who need them.”<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/p>\n

Regarding the freedom of speech from the pulpit, a pastor or other leader of a house of worship should be accountable to God and his congregation for his speech, not the government<\/i>. If a pastor is not comfortable discussing moral issues or political candidates, he is not obligated to do so. However, many religious leaders feel compelled to speak out about the moral issues of the day, and they should be able to support or oppose a political candidate, in their capacity as a pastor, based on where the candidate stands on those moral issues. The IRS has acted as the “speech police” for houses of worship for far too long.<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/p>\n

One of this country’s most compelling calls to action came from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia on July 4, 1965, when he said, “Legislation, executive orders, or judicial decrees will have to control the external effects of bad internal attitudes. Therefore, if we are to realize the American dream, we must continue to work through legislation. So it is necessary for Congress to pass meaningful legislation.”  (listen here<\/a>)<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/p>\n

So Barry, on the Sunday before the election, what if a Pastor says, “We all have a civic responsibility to vote. I believe that the issue of abortion is a moral and ethical one that you should consider when you are voting for a candidate. Our church generally shares a pro-life position, which means that we believe that an unborn baby is entitled to human dignity and constitutional protection. This Tuesday, vote your conscience.”<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/p>\n

Barry, would the church violate IRS code section 501(c)(3)? Would it be constitutional for the IRS to review the church’s sermons and revoke their tax-exempt status due to the content of their speech?<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The trends that Barry cited are interesting, but the Pew Research poll has other important findings that should be noted:   \u00b7         “Roughly comparable numbers say political leaders express their religious beliefs too much (29%), too little (36%) or the right amount (28%)”; \u00b7         “Compared with 2004, there has been a slight increase among the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":163,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,3,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-church-politicking","category-election-08","category-separation-of-church-and-state"],"yoast_head":"\nReligion and Politics: The Rest of the Story - Lynn v. 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Jay Sekulow has also served as a faculty member for the Office of Legal Education at the United States Department of Justice.  As a member of the faculty he instructed Assistant United States Attorneys and investigators in the First Amendment issues associated with prosecution of obscenity. An accomplished and respected judicial advocate, Sekulow has presented oral argument before the U.S. Supreme Court in numerous cases in defense of constitutional freedoms. Several landmark cases argued by Sekulow before the U.S. Supreme Court have become part of the legal landscape in the area of religious liberty litigation.  In the Mergens case, Sekulow cleared the way for public school students to form Bible clubs and religious organizations on their school campuses.  In the Lamb's Chapel case, Sekulow defended the free speech rights of religious groups, ensuring that they be treated equally with respect to the use of public facilities.  And, most recently, in McConnell v. FEC, Sekulow ensured that the constitutional rights of young people remain protected with a unanimous decision by the high court guaranteeing that minors can participate in political campaigns. A nationally recognized and respected defender of religious freedom, Sekulow has assembled one of the most prestigious law firms in the nation.  Founded in 1990, the American Center for Law and Justice focuses in constitutional law.  The ACLJ, under Sekulow's direction, is involved in public interest and public policy issues working to protect religious and constitutional liberties. In 2007, the Chicago Tribune concluded that the ACLJ has \"led the way\" in Christian legal advocacy.  In 2005, TIME Magazine named Sekulow one of the \"25 Most Influential Evangelicals\" in America and called the ACLJ \"a powerful counterweight\" to the ACLU.  Business Week said the ACLJ is \"the leading advocacy group for religious freedom.\"  Sekulow's work on the issue of judicial nominees - including possible vacancies at the Supreme Court - has received extensive news coverage including a front page story in The Wall Street Journal.  In addition, The National Law Journal has twice named Sekulow one of the \"100 Most Influential Lawyers\" in the United States (1994, 1997).  He is also among a distinguished group of attorneys known as \"The Public Sector 45\" named by The American Lawyer (January\/February 1997).  The magazine said the designation represents \"45 young lawyers outside the private sector whose vision and commitment are changing lives.\" Sekulow brings insight and education to listeners daily with his national call-in radio program, Jay Sekulow Live!, which is broadcast throughout the country on nearly 850 radio stations.  Sekulow also hosts a weekly television program, ACLJ This Week, which tackles the tough issues of the day and is broadcast on a number of networks nationwide including the Trinity Broadcasting Network and FamilyNet.  Sekulow is also a popular guest on nationally televised news programs on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, FOX News, MSNBC, CNBC, and PBS.  He frequently contributes articles and commentary to national publications and is often quoted in the nation's leading newspapers including USA Today, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and Washington Times. A graduate of Mercer University, Sekulow graduated cum laude receiving both a bachelor's degree and doctor of jurisprudence from Mercer University where he served on the Mercer Law Review as an editorial staff member.  Following graduation, Sekulow served as a tax trial attorney in the Office of Chief Counsel for the Internal Revenue Service.  In that capacity, Sekulow prepared and brought to trial tax cases on behalf of the United States Department of Treasury in United States Tax Court. He also received a Ph.D. from Regent University, with a dissertation on American Legal History, and is the author of numerous publications and law articles. Sekulow serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for The Supreme Court Historical Society in Washington, DC.","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/author\/jsekulow"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/163"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}