In 1954, Senator Lyndon B. Johnson granted a “favor” to churches with the “Johnson Amendment” giving religious organizations tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status churches decry as unfair because of the proviso they were “prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office.” Religious groups say Johnson giving them taxpayer-funded welfare was devastating and an attempt to “eliminate the significant influence the church always had on shaping public policy,” but American Atheists and other secular groups say “We find it (tax-exempt status) discriminatory, so we’re suing. The way that this is set up, we all pay for it. We’re all supporting churches for what they do.”
Posted on: Thu, 28 Nov 2013 02:43:13 +0000
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