Proposition 8 in California was perhaps the most talked about ballot measure in all of the 2008 election. The prop overturned the legality of gay marriage in California, making it once again illegal for same-sex couples to be wed.

I am not an activist, and this topic is not my highest priority (sorry gays), but I do believe firmly in equality for all, and gay marriage is something I strongly support. If civil unions and the like offered complete legal equality to hetero-married couples, then I’d be fine with the “one man-one woman” definition. But it doesn’t. Legally speaking, gay couples are not afforded the same rights as their more “traditional” counterparts. From a legal and equality standpoint, gay marriage should be allowed.

Now this topic has become a religious debate. The religious factions in this country want marriage to be between one man and one woman, and they want homosexuality to be “cured” rather than accepted and made equal. Gay people whose life’s are affected every day by these decisions are being told that they are not equal by people with a moral objection, many of whom have probably never met a gay person, minus all of the closeted ones they see in their church every Sunday (perhaps even the one preaching to them!).

So what do we do when the churches in this country start getting too involved in influencing legislation?  The answer is black and white, but nothing seems to be getting done about it.

You see by copy and pasting, I can point out to you that:

Section 501(c)(3) of US Code Title 26, which governs tax-exempt organizations, reads (emphasis added):

(3) Corporations, and any community chest, fund, or foundation, organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, testing for public safety, literary, or educational purposes, or to foster national or international amateur sports competition (but only if no part of its activities involve the provision of athletic facilities or equipment), or for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals, no part of the net earnings of which inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual, no substantial part of the activities of which is carrying on propaganda, or otherwise attempting, to influence legislation (except as otherwise provided in subsection (h)), and which does not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.

It can’t be more clear than that. “no substantial part of the activities of which is carrying on propaganda, or otherwise attempting, to influence legislation.” No attempting to influence legislation. Just what do you think telling your church members to donate money from out of state to fight this cause is? It’s attempting to influence legislation, plain and simple. The Mormons are not the only ones who have broken this rule, but they are the ones that I am talking about right now.

The fact is that the Mormons were a huge factor in why Prop 8 passed in California. The LDS church pumped in $20 million to help defeat it. LDS leadership had been planning Prop 8 for 11 years, and considered this to be a high priority for some time.

You can say all you want about the black and hispanic votes being the downfall of Prop 8, but it’s also true that they voted against it for religious reasons. This vote was about religion, not equal rights. Until the churches stay out of it and the people vote (as they should) only based on humanity and equal rights, this proposition, and all of its brothers in other states, will continue to pass. Gay marriage cannot exist until it is a civil rights and not a religious matter.

The irony that one of the most vocal supporters of banning this “non-traditional” form of marriage is the Mormon church. A church that has held a reputation for quite sometime as being the church that supported polygamy. It’s been 118 years since the LDS church abandoned polygamy, but the reputation is still there. You’d think that they would have some sympathy for a group of people that want to have a non-traditional marriage.

Urging members of your church to donate money to an out of state cause goes against what the tax exemption is there for. If this is not “attempting to influence legislation”, I don’t know what is. This is a clear breaking of the rules, as defined in the US tax code.

The IRS needs to take a serious look at who is taking their tax exemptions. Churches are flaunting their political views, challenging the IRS to revoke their tax exempt status, and the IRS is letting it happen.

I don’t care how many members these churches have, they need to play by the same rules. When people donate to them tax free, and they pay no taxes on their land, buildings, income or anything else, they essentially have a blank check to do what they want. When they use that blank check for legislative or political purposes, they are at an extreme advantage over the groups they are fighting against, who don’t have the church’s tax exemption in their favor. There are a lot of tax free groups that also fall into this category, but the churches are mocking the IRS with their new style.

The United States government and the IRS need to take a stand. You can either dabble in politics and pay your taxes, or you shut your mouth and stick to religion. The Mormon church clearly broke this rule, and they should lose all tax exemptions for 2008 for breaking this code.

To file a complaint or get involved, follow this link and follow their instructions.

Feel free to share...

Discussion

No comments for “Mormons and Prop 8 - Crossing a Tax Exempt Line?”

Post a comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.