the separation of church and state

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:no, I am not a witch. And Yes, I know the Bill of Rights, however, in its statement, "congress shall in no way impose" shows that in no way will the government tell a religious organization what to do within reason, so long as they do not break the law. In that, nowhere does it state that church shouldn't get involved with politics. The forefathers prayed before a session of congress and prayed about certain issues as a whole. Looking for divine direction. Today, it has become a mortal sin when a religious organization gives political opinions or if a community wishes to open a session with prayer, people get upset and shout "separation"
From a purely scientific research approach, where do you stand on the issue and why?

I hate to burst your self-righteous bubble, but churches are free to get involved in politics whenever they want. However, most nonprofit organizations are not permitted to get involved in politics if they want to keep their nonprofit status. If a church decides that money is more important than being able to be politically involved (and most do), that is the church's decision. From a purely scientific research approach, of course.

Sorry, I should have been more clear. I meant to say tax exempt status. Any church that wants to be political is welcome to do so, however there is nothing in the constitution or bill of rights that says that churches have the right to be tax exempt.

[Anonymous]

There are 28 separate categories of organizations under 501 (c) Why even bother singling out churches?

[Anonymous]

OP, you realize it's not just the wording of the Constitution that shapes current laws, but also 200 years of court decisions clarifying and interpreting it, right?