This post is about religious pastors and government restriction. Does anyone know how pertinent it is?
(media.greatawakening.win)
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501c3 is tax exempt status given by the government for charitable (non-profit is the technical term used by the government) organizations such as churches and other religious organizations (churches, temples, synagogues,etc are actually 501c3s by default, no application needed). There are multiple types of non-profits, but the 501c3 is the tax exempt one.
While 501c3s are restricted in campaigning for and supporting individual candidates, they can have a stance on political issues. Hence why many churches are able to organize prayer walks for Planned Parenthood locations.
What this means in actuality is that most churches, especially the larger ones, tend to be as apolitical as possible to ensure they are nowhere near crossing the line and losing tax exempt status. Pair that with a Democrat in the white house and the pastors will be even less likely to want to rock the boat. That having been said, some pastors will put their convictions above the tax exemption and some get away with it while others do not.
Personal anecdote: I've never once seen a liberal pastor get in trouble for being political. I've seen them brag about campaigning for Obama, which they can do as a citizen, but they're not supposed to bring the pastor side into it and they most certainly brought the pastor side into it. And while I've never seen a right-wing pastor get their tax exempt status in jeopardy, I've also never seen them discuss individual candidates except in private.
TLDR: the message is a bit hyperbolic, but the idea behind the message isn't too far off. Pastors tend to stay away from most politics just to keep their church's tax exempt status. Doesn't apply to all pastors, but it does apply.
Thanks for the response. It's nice to hear what actually goes on.
Happy to provide information where I can.
I'll add a few notes to my original statement.
A great example of how much a church can actually get away with is the Westboro Baptist Church. They still have tax exempt status.
What is the solution? I'd argue that more pastors and churches need to know the rules on what can and can't be done. A lot of pastors are hesitant because they lack the knowledge on what can happen. Unless somebody like Beto O'Rourke gets into the white house (and is able to convince the house and Senate to agree), speaking out against abortion (or other issues) is permissable. Whereas holding an anti-abortion rally, that's likely to get you in trouble.
As a churchgoing individual, you can volunteer and donate to candidates, but if there is any reason to believe that the church or pastor is encouraging people to do so, that's a no-go. Another issue being that there is a level of vagueness when it comes to 501c3s. Can't tell people to vote Trump from the pulpit, but what if I see my pastor wearing a MAGA hat. Some would argue that's influencing people. So again, the actual dangers are significantly less than the perceived dangers, but if you get the wrong government worker on the wrong day, you could be out of luck. Because that is just the truth of the matter, people will always be a little bit more hesitant than necessary.
Great stuff, thanks again.