FFRF Sues IRS to Enforce Ban on Church Electioneering
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Complimentary Copy Join FFRF Now! Vol. 29 No. 9 Published by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc. November 2012 FFRF sues IRS to enforce ban on church electioneering The Freedom From Religion Found- FFRF is asking the federal court to ation has filed a historic challenge by enjoin the IRS commissioner from suing the Internal Revenue Service continuing “a policy of non-enforce- over its failure to enforce electioneer- ment of the electioneering restrictions An FFRF member sent this photo taken on Oct. 22 at the First Conservative ing restrictions against churches and against churches and religious organi- Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla., as an example of church electioneering. religious organizations. zations.” There was also a Romney for president sign and one that said, “If you want to Calling the lack of enforcement a Additionally, FFRF seeks to order the keep your job, pray the president loses his job.” violation of the Establishment Clause IRS “to authorize a high-ranking official of the First Amendment and of FFRF’s within the IRS to approve and initiate en- equal protection rights, the state/ forcement of the restrictions of §501(c) of §501(c)3.” FFRF is regularly contact- Website swamped church watchdog filed the lawsuit Nov. (3) against churches and religious orga- ed by its members and members of the 14 in U.S. District Court for the West- nizations, including the electioneering public over specific and general viola- After news of the lawsuit became the ern District of Wisconsin. restrictions, as required by law.” tions of church electioneering restric- No. 1 item on Reddit, an online social A widely circulated Bloomberg News As many as 1,500 clergy reportedly tions, and FFRF staff attorneys regu- network, almost 70,000 people flooded article quoted Russell Renwicks of the took part in a mass violation of the larly ask the IRS to investigate such FFRF’s website to read about the case. IRS Tax-Exempt and Government En- electioneering restrictions on Sun- violations. Unfortunately, the spike took down tities division, saying the agency has day, Oct. 7, notes the legal complaint, This non-enforcement “constitutes the site intermittently. suspended tax audits of churches. Al- which also references “blatantly politi- preferential treatment to churches and Attorney Richard L. Bolton, the liti- though an IRS spokesman claimed cal” full-page ads by the Billy Graham religious organizations that is not pro- gator, who is with Boardman Law Firm Renwicks “misspoke,” there appears Evangelical Association running on vided to other tax-exempt organiza- in Madison, Wis., and has been work- to be no evidence of IRS inquiries or the three Sundays leading up to the tions, including FFRF,” the complaint ing with FFRF for more than a decade, enforcement action in the past three Nov. 6 election. notes. “Churches and religious orga- reported receiving almost 100 adula- years. “[I]n recent years, churches and nizations obtain a significant benefit tory emails from strangers around the Other news sources, such as The religious organizations have been bla- as a result of being non-exempt from world, thanking him for his role in the Associated Press, claim the IRS hasn’t tantly and deliberately flaunting the income taxation, while also being able case. Bolton said this is unprecedented been auditing churches since 2009. electioneering restrictions of §501(c) to preferentially engage in electioneer- in his experience as an attorney. (3),” the complaint asserts. ing, which is something secular tax-ex- Biologist Jerry Coyne of the Uni- FFRF has more than 19,000 mem- empt organizations cannot do.” versity of Chicago, author of Why Evo bers nationwide “who are opposed to This preferential tax exemption in- lution Is True, wrote in his November Inside This Issue government preferences and favorit- volves more than $100 billion annually blog, “We now get revenge: the FFRF ism toward religion.” FFRF is a tax-ex- in tax-free contributions to churches sues the IRS for failure to enforce tax empt organization that “must and does and religious organizations in the laws on churches,” adding that he con- Student activists abide by the electioneering restrictions United States. Continued on page 7 secularize football Page 3 Mississippi police department Dawkins on decalogue downed by FFRF metaphors and Mormons Among many recent FFRF victories approval, as it is prominently placed banishing religion from government directly inside of the city’s most impor- Pages 11– 13 was the removal of a very large, very tant government offices.” unconstitutional Ten Commandments Elliott cited a Supreme Court ruling monument from the police depart- that called the Ten Commandments ment in Brandon, Miss. an “unmistakably religious statement Linda Riggle A local resident was taken aback by dealing with religion’s obligations and Davis: ‘Bray’ the bible display and contacted FFRF. with morality subject to religious sanc- for me To the rescue came Staff Attorney tion.” Patrick Elliott, who told Mayor Tim Residents have informed FFRF that Page 14 Coulter in a Sept. 24 letter that “any the display was removed sometime in reasonable observer would view it as an October. endorsement of religion by the city of To read about other recent legal vic- Brandon. This display is unmistakably tories, see pages 6-7. FFRF’s letter got this illegal Ten stamped with the city government’s Commandments display removed. Page 2 Freethought Today Madison, Wisconsin November 2012 One nation under God — not! This column originally was published on Rubio is also wrong about some- government of the United States of this. Perhaps he does. But heck, to Ru- Huffington Post and appears here with the thing else: Faith in God is not shared Americas is not, in any sense, founded bio, faith in his deity is clearly of great- author’s permission. by all Americans. In fact, millions of on the Christian religion.” The treaty er value than historical accuracy or hardworking, child-raising, military- was passed unanimously by the U.S. embracing all Americans regardless of joining, coal-mining and liberty-loving Senate, only the third such unanimous their religious beliefs or lack thereof. Americans live their lives without faith vote in the Senate out of 339 votes that He said so himself. in God. Millions more live their lives had taken place up to that time. without any interest in religion what- And, the writers of our Constitution Phil Zuckerman, professor of sociology soever. The statistics are surprisingly left God out of the entire body of that at Pitzer College in Claremont, Calif., is an clear on this front. foundational, brilliant and oh-so-secu- FFRF member and a leading authority on In the 1990s, about 8% of Ameri- lar document. how secular societies measure up favorably cans claimed “none” as their religion. Marco Rubio should know all of to theocratic ones. Then, in 2007, the Pew Forum found that the percentage of nonreligious Americans had doubled to 16%. In 2010, Putnam and Campbell’s national survey put the percentage at 17%. In 2011, the General Social Survey report- FFRF welcomes 23 new ed it at 18%. This year, the Pew Forum bumped it up to 19%. (Anyone see a pattern here?) Then, according to the 2012 WIN- Lifetime Members! Gallup International “Global Index of Religion and Atheism,” a whopping 30% of Americans describe themselves as nonreligious. So whether we’re talk- The Freedom From Religion Foun- as are all gifts and dues to FFRF. By Phil Zuckerman ing 16 or 19 or 30%, we’re talking tens dation is delighted to welcome 23 new Our warmest thanks to Anonymous, of millions of Americans who are more Lifetime Members: Hank, Wayne, Curtis, Michael, Larry, secular than not. Dick Baker, Roger Banvard, Sheri Cindy, Eric, Donn, Kevin, Camille, A t the Republican National Con- Of course, not all Americans who Bender*, David Bockoff, Sheila Cham- Carsten, Yvonne, Andrew, Paul, Deb, vention, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio was claim to be nonreligious are atheists or bers, Dennis Drake, William Kable, Andre, William, Dennis Sheila, David, loud and clear: What makes us Ameri- agnostics, but a very significant propor- Marc-Andre LaChance, Paul and Deb Charles and Sheri, Roger and Dick! cans is our shared belief in God. That’s tion are. In fact, according to the most Lindsey, Andrew Miller, Yvonne Nan- it, above all else. Forget adherence to recent American Religious Identifica- tais, Carsten Smidt, Ph.D., Camille Staf- the Constitution, forget a hatred of tion Survey, of those Americans who ford (whose husband, Roger, is already tyranny, forget a love for baseball. For- self-identify as nonreligious, about half a Lifer), Kevin Stansell, Cindy and Eric get watching reality TV while ingesting are atheist or agnostic. Another 23% Stern (gift from Donn Milton), Larry a double cheeseburger, large nachos believe in a higher power but not a Tanner, Michael J. Timinski, Curtis A. and a 32-ounce orange soda. personal God. Only 21% are firm God- Waddell, Dr. Wayne Wright and Hank Include FFRF No, what binds Americans together believers. Zumach. In Your Estate is, according to this Christian politi- Additionally, FFRF welcomes a cian, theism. What’s really un-American Washington state member who prefers Planning As Rubio proclaimed: “We are spe- anonymity. cial because we’re united not by a com- Now, maybe there is a god. Maybe States represented are California, Arrange a bequest in your will or mon race or ethnicity. We’re bound there isn’t. Maybe there is a heaven. Colorado, Connecticut, District of trust, or make the Freedom From together by common values . that Maybe there isn’t. Maybe the precious, Columbia, Florida, New York, North Religion Found ation the benefi- almighty God is the source of all we red blood of Jesus saves us from our Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tex- ciary of an insurance policy, bank have.” And furthermore: “Faith in our sins.