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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 8/7/02 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A bill that would allow houses of worship to engage in partisan politicking will face a vote in the House of Representatives in early September, observers in Washington say. Rep. Walter B. Jones' "Houses of Worship Political Speech Protection Act" (H.R. 2357) was drafted by attorneys with TV preacher Pat Robertson's American Center for Law and Justice and is being aggressively pushed by numerous Religious Right organizations. The measure would change the Internal Revenue Code to allow houses of worship to use personnel and resources to endorse or oppose candidates for public office. Federal tax law currently forbids non-profit groups, including houses of worship, from intervening in partisan campaigns if they are tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the tax code. The Jones bill would lift that regulation -- but only for houses of worship. Religious Right groups are eager to get rid of the provision so they can draft churches as cogs in their political machines. "Americans do not want their churches turned into smoke-filled rooms where political deals are cut and partisan politics replaces worship," said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. "When people put their money in the collection plate, they don't expect it to be used for candidates' campaign literature and attack ads." Lynn continued, "This bill threatens the integrity of the faith community and subverts the political process. It would be deeply divisive both for congregations and communities." Many Religious Right supporters of the legislation have said the bill is necessary to protect religious leaders' ability to speak out on issues. AU's Lynn said this argument is "nonsense." "Religious leaders are already free to expose moral evils, propose ethical solutions and hold our leaders to the highest standards," Lynn said. "The only thing that tax law prohibits is intervention by tax-exempt groups in political campaigns." Survey data shows that Americans are opposed to this legislation. A recent poll by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life found that 70 percent of the respondents said they disapprove of churches endorsing political candidates. Religious leaders and organizations across the theological spectrum have announced opposition to the Jones bill. They include the American Jewish Committee; the American Jewish Congress; the Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs; the Central Conference of American Rabbis; the Church of the Brethren Washington Office; the Friends Committee on National Legislation (Quakers); the General Board of Church and Society, United Methodist Church; the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA; the Presbyterian Church (USA), Washington Office; Seventh-day Adventist Church, General Conference; Soka Gakkai International -- USA Buddhist Association; Union of American Hebrew Congregations; the Unitarian Universalist Association and the United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries. Lynn urged Americans United members to contact their representatives in the House and give their opinions about the Jones bill. "This country doesn't need partisan pulpits," Lynn said. "The Jones bill deserves to go down in defeat." Americans United is a religious liberty watchdog group based in Washington,
D.C. Founded in 1947, the organization educates Americans about the importance
of church-state separation in safeguarding religious freedom. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Americans United
for Separation of Church and State
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