Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : The American Spirit Vs. The Rightwing -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: mph who wrote (1385)	10/6/2004 11:12:35 PM
From: American Spirit	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1904

Here are some examples of violations of the Constitution's church-state separation provisions: Government funding of religious schools or religious social service providers – the government provides grants or other aid to religious educational institutions or “faith-based” social service providers. Such funding is particularly constitutionally troublesome if: government aid is actually used for religious instruction or activity, or direct cash aid is given to a pervasively religious institution or program, or the aid recipient discriminates in employment based on religion with respect to publicly-funded positions, or the aid recipient coerces service recipients to submit to religious proselytization or take part in religious worship, or only religious organizations are eligible for funding under the aid program. More information on improper government funding of “faith-based” social service providers Religious activity in the public schools – the government promotes or sponsors prayer or other religious activity in the public schools. Examples include: prayer at school events such as graduations, assemblies, and football games prayer at the beginning of the school day religious presentations in school distribution of the Bible or other religious literature in school Bible-study courses teaching of creationism in science classes. Religious displays on government property – the government displays a religious text or symbol, such as the Ten Commandments, a cross, or a creche, on public property. Such displays are particularly egregious violations of the Constitution if the religious text or symbol is not accompanied by many non-religious texts or symbols. Other violations - Some other constitutional violations include: “prayer breakfasts” endorsed by government officials and/or financed with government funds formal proclamations by government officials exhorting citizens to pray explicitly sectarian prayers at the openings of meetings of government bodies government funding of religious hospitals that refuse to provide certain kinds of reproductive health care services for religious reasons statutory exemptions that allow religious organizations to discriminate in employment based on criteria other than religion with respect to non-religious positions tax exemptions for religious organizations that are not also applicable to secular non-profit organizations government refusals to give persons religious exemptions from government regulations in cases where the government provides non-religious exemptions from the same regulations.

To: mph who wrote (1385)	10/6/2004 11:57:25 PM
From: TopCat	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1904

As usual, AS has totally blown this out of proportion. It is NOT a constitutional issue of separation of church and state. However, there is a obscure IRS regulation that prohibits a church from participating in political activities if it is to maintain its 501(c)(3) status. Hardly a constitutional issue and a typical exageration by AS. Churches, like other organizations that are exempt from federal income tax under §501(c)(3), may 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." priestsforlife.org