Why Can’t Churches Endorse Candidates
In the United States, we have a strong tradition of separation between church and state. The Founding Fathers believed that religious freedom was so important that they wrote it into the Bill of Rights. However, some people believe that churches should endorse candidates for political office. This is because they believe that churches have a right to free speech just like anyone else does. In this post I’ll explain why churches can’t endorse candidates and why they shouldn’t be required to do so either.
Churches are tax-exempt
You might be surprised to learn that churches are tax-exempt. That’s right, churches in the United States are not taxed by the federal government and also in most states. In fact, some countries (such as Canada) don’t even allow churches to be tax-exempt! So how did this happen?
Churches were founded on two principles: freedom of religion and separation of church and state. The first principle ensures that all religions have the opportunity to operate equally under the law; while the second ensures that no one religion can wield political power over others through their status as a nonprofit organization (e.g., 501(c)(3)). In order for these principles to work together harmoniously, they must each remain separate from one another without any overlap or interference between them—which means no endorsing candidates nor receiving donations made on behalf of candidates running for office!
Could lose their tax-exemption
If a church endorses or supports a candidate for office, it can face serious legal problems and lose its tax-exempt status.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is tasked with enforcing the law that prohibits churches from endorsing candidates in an effort to ensure that churches are not used as political tools by one party or another.
Churches can lose their tax-exempt status if they endorse a candidate.
You might think that a church could endorse a candidate without fear of losing its tax-exempt status. After all, churches are nonprofits and enjoy tax-exempt status because they’re considered charities.
But this is not true. Churches are only eligible for nonprofit status if they don’t engage in political activity—which includes endorsing candidates (or even lobbying on issues). If a church endorses a political candidate, it can lose its tax-exempt status with the IRS and be forced to pay back taxes dating back several years!
The Real Story of Christian Persecution
You’ve probably heard about Christian persecution. You may have even seen it on the news in the past few years. But what is Christian persecution and why does it happen?
Christians have been persecuted since the beginning of Christianity, but today’s persecution is different from that of centuries ago. While Christians were being murdered for their faith, today’s Christian persecution includes not just imprisonment and death but also severe discrimination against people who follow Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior without compromise.
These modern civil rights violations are not limited to physical harm; they also include forced indoctrination, suppression of religious speech and expression (including private conversations), laws against evangelism or conversion efforts, restrictions on church attendance or building new churches—even more subtle forms such as hostile words whispered into your ear at work by someone who disapproves of your faith!
Christians Have Been Persecuted for Generations
Persecution has been a reality for Christians for centuries. The religious persecution of today began in the early years of the church. Christians have been persecuted and sometimes killed in the Middle East since its beginning, but it’s not just an issue there; persecution is also prevalent in China and North Korea, just to name two examples.
The Roman Empire Contributed to Christian Persecution
The Roman Empire was the superpower of its time. Christianity was a minority religion, and the Romans feared that it posed a threat to their power. Emperor Nero persecuted Christians in A.D. 64, blaming them for a fire which had destroyed much of Rome. Christians were tortured and killed during this persecution, and many churches were destroyed or burned down.
Medieval Kings Persecuted the Church
The Middle Ages weren’t all about the Crusades, knights and castles. There were also kings who persecuted the church for political reasons.
The Middle Ages were an era when kings oftentimes went to war with each other and attempted to expand their territory. Many of them saw the Catholic Church as a threat to their authority and power, so they persecuted it. In fact, one can trace this period of persecution from Pope Gregory VII (1073–85) until the end of the thirteenth century through the writings of Thomas Aquinas (1225–74). Most notably, King Philip IV was excommunicated by Pope Boniface VIII after he seized funds belonging to religious orders in France in 1303 (the same year as Dante’s death).
Napoleon’s War Against the Church
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader who played a significant role in the French Revolution. He was also a secularist and did not believe in God. In an attempt to destroy the Catholic Church and take away its power, Napoleon instituted several policies against it:
- He ordered that all priests must swear an oath of loyalty to him,
- He allowed only one religious service per day (but only if it was Catholic),
- Churches could not hold weddings or funerals,
- No priest could wear any clothing associated with the church (can you imagine?)
Hitler’s Attempts to Destroy Christianity
Thus, while some argue that Hitler was an atheist or an agnostic, there is no doubt he was a Christian. He was baptized into the Catholic Church as an infant and raised by a devoutly religious mother. He attended mass regularly as a child and later described himself as “religious” in school.
Hitler’s intentions were clear: he wanted to replace Christianity with Nazi ideology and thus eliminate the Church from German society. In his famous speech before the Reichstag in 1938, Hitler said:
“The National Socialist State professes its allegiance to positive Christianity. It will be its honest endeavor to protect both the great Christian Confessions in their rights, to secure them from interference with their doctrines (Lehren), and in their rites.”
Non-Western Countries Face Persecution Today
In the United States, it’s not uncommon for Christians to oppose candidates whose views are in direct opposition to their own. This can often be traced back to a particular stance on abortion or same-sex marriage. For example, many Christians believe that only they have the right to choose what goes on inside their bodies and will therefore support candidates who want to make abortion illegal.
On the other hand, some Christians believe that all people should have equal rights and therefore oppose candidates who want to keep gay people from getting married.
In many parts of the world, Christians have been persecuted and they still are being persecuted today.
It’s easy to forget that Christians are still being persecuted today. The persecution of Christians is not a new thing, and it’s not limited to one country or one religion. In fact, some Christian organizations have even organized themselves in such a way that they can’t endorse candidates for office because they’re afraid of losing their tax-exempt status as a religious organization if they endorse any political candidates.
In many parts of the world, Christians are being persecuted by other groups—sometimes even by their own government—because of their beliefs about God and Jesus Christ (or simply because they’re living with HIV). These governments don’t allow them to worship freely; sometimes those governments will even punish people who do worship freely by laying down restrictions on what places Christians can worship at and how often!
Conclusion
But we must remember that persecution is not exclusive to Christians. All people, regardless of their religious or political beliefs, have the right to freedom of speech. This is a fundamental concept that should be upheld by every government in the world. The United States has long been a beacon for those seeking asylum and safety from political or religious persecution, so let us continue our tradition by taking action against those who persecute others simply because they do not agree with what they believe.