Florida evangelist criticized for anti-Romney rants
It just doesn’t get any better than this. It makes sense that if a tax-exempt status of a ‘religious’ organization begins to mimic a 527 or other political entity, by default they just surrendered their tax-exempt church status. Funny how many individuals and groups that advocate religion or promote their personal views on the subject have no problem using the political arena to tell others how they should live. But anyone else suggesting how they should behave or sharing an opinion of that same group or individual is met with anger and resentment and the defense that their religious conviction deems them untouchable.
It is not often one sees a little sanity coming from Florida, especially if it involves politics. No, there will be no mention here of Katherine Harris or election ballot challenges or…..oops, too late.
Maybe Americans United for Separation of Church and State will have better luck with this request to the IRS than most of their previous ones. In 12 years they filed 68 requests and only one resulted in removal of tax exempt status. It would even be helpful if the IRS just told the evangelist to shut the hell up on politics.
Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com
Florida evangelist criticized for anti-Romney rants
By MITCH STACY
Associated Press Writer
TAMPA, Fla. - A Florida evangelist shrugged off claims Thursday that he is illegally mixing religion and politics by telling followers that a vote for Mormon presidential candidate Mitt Romney “is a vote for Satan.”A watchdog group, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, hand-delivered a letter to the Internal Revenue Service last week asking for an investigation of St. Petersburg-based evangelist Bill Keller, who has used his online columns and late night TV show to assert that Romney is not a Christian because he belongs to the Mormon church.
The group says Keller’s anti-Romney rants violate federal tax law, and it wants the IRS to look into revoking the tax-exempt status of his nonprofit ministry. The law prohibits tax-exempt organizations from endorsing or opposing candidates.