On religious freedom

[denuseri]

My statements above may be a little broad, as far as this explanation goes, but the idea is the same.

Broad? lol Big stretch between preaching a political view from the pulpit (which according to 501 is fine and perfectly allowable as free speech btw) and contributing money via your religious organization directly to a campaign.

Technically, as I read it, all of the campaigning that the Mormon Church did for Prop 8 in California should have cost them their tax-free status. Just one example.

Depends...giving money to a super pack may or may not be defined in the same fashion as giving it directly to a campaign...which if I recall correctly is the same loophole being exploited by big business to the same ends.

I can agree with that. I've never quite been able to figure out why churches and charities should NOT pay taxes, at least on those portions of the money they collect which does not get used to actually do charity work.

Or Corporations, Nazi groups, the KKK, biker gangs or atheist clubs or any groups etc etc.


There are, as you are well aware, restrictions on free speech.

Yep they are clearly stipulated in the constitution too.

One cannot say anything which comes to mind about another person, or group of people, unless one has some semblance of evidence to back up those statements.

They can a do on TV all the time. Additionally under the guise of both fiction and educational texts or philosophical pamphlets, one can even say those things which one couldn't say publicly otherwise if they addressed an individual. Which if memory serves it is pretty much anything including the lies told about Jews by Nazi groups. Including lies told by certain Civil War historical groups to promote a pro southern basis for the war that doesn't involve slavery etc. Short of inciting a riot by yelling fire in a movie theater or direct slander which must be proven in a court or making certain treasonous statements its all free game.

When I, and others, make claims about the lies told by religious organizations, we are basing those comments on actual lies told by religious leaders!

So you say. Though given the amount of sophistry (basically truth twisting) you use on this subject I am a bit skeptical.

I can, for example, claim that religious organizations promote mythology because the stories which they preach are indistinguishable from those stories which we all recognize as myths. THEY may believe them to be true, but without evidence there is no reason anyone else MUST believe them to be true. Their freedom of speech allows them to preach these myths in their churches and schools: it does NOT give them the right to FORCE those who don't believe to teach them as well.

Just like I can say all atheists are misguided asshats who don't practice what they preach and often act just as zealously as any religious fanatic...doesn't make it true necessarily but I can say it legally all the same.

Even from the pulpit of a church if I should so choose.