The Johnson Amendment

[Rvaughn]

Speaking of Facebook, Trump, Sputtering and Twitter, I thought the following cartoon was one of those "That's funny, I don't care who you are" ones. (But then I resisted posting it on Facebook because I decided some might not think it is funny. Don't think that will be a problem here.)

[Haruo]

That is pretty good!

BTW wish you could be up here for the Sacred Harp Convention. We did the Cooper book at last night's social (will do Christian Harmony this evening, but I'll probably miss it, worse luck.)

[Rvaughn]

Some day I hope to get up there. Any chance y'all sung my song on 514 (Cooper)? It's been getting some pretty good mileage in places. I think I saw Karen Willard post on Facebook that she was going to have miss the singing.

[Haruo]

I don't know if they sang 514; I was only there for about an hour out of a three-hour Cooper session. This evening I made about an hour and a half of the Christian Harmony.

I gather Karen is in Europe. Not sure if it's shapenote-related.

[Sandy]

[Jim]

The church/denomination, like Planned Un-Parenthood, pays no taxes because it is a non-profit institution and like all such is exempted. This has nothing to do with or without religion. A preacher can say anything he likes anywhere he likes. Anything curtailing that right is or should be un-Constitutional...except, of course, yelling “fire” in a theater if there is none.

[Haruo]

I wonder if it's legal to yell "Fake Fire!" in a crowded theater.

[Rvaughn]

[KeithE]

[Rvaughn]

Keith, I think this could be a good compromise. It touches on my greatest concern -- that government has no business regulating speech in the pulpit -- and also on the concerns of others -- that a political organization could possibly masquerade as a church to avoid taxation.

[KeithE]

[Rvaughn]

[Sandy]

[William Thornton]

Will not affect me. A church can be as political as they wish and endorse until Jesus comes...and beyond. The potential is that their IRS status is potentially as risk but no church has ever had their status changed for political endorsements. This is the reddest of red herrings. I love metaphors so I'll toss in that the issue is red meat for some segments of society.