NORTH CAROLINA PASTOR

WHO ENDORSED POLITICAL CANDIDATES RESIGNS PULPIT Incident Underscores Dangers Of Immersing Houses Of Worship In Political Activity, Says Church-State Watchdog Group
A North Carolina pastor who drew national attention for partisan politicking in the pulpit resigned last night. The incident, says Americans United for Separation of Church and State, illustrates the danger of mixing partisan political activity with churches. According to news accounts, Pastor Chan Chandler of the East Waynesville Baptist Church in Waynesville, N.C., resigned during a meeting Tuesday evening. Reportedly, some of Chandler's supporters left the church with him. Chandler's resignation came on the day after Americans United reported the church to the Internal Revenue Service, asserting that his endorsements of candidates from the pulpit violate the Internal Revenue Code. AU filed the complaint May 9."The developments at this church clearly show the result of pulpit-based electioneering," said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United. "It leads to ill will among congregants and divides congregations. This incident illustrates perfectly why our houses of worship should refrain from telling people whom to vote for."
Nine members of the Waynesville church say they were forced out of the congregation for defying Chandler's order to support the reelection of President George W. Bush and refrain from voting for Democrats. Chandler's actions had been controversial for some time. Some members complained that most of his sermons were political. Several newspapers and television stations reported that on Oct. 3, 2004, Chandler told his congregation, "If you vote for John Kerry, you need to repent or resign." Church members told the media that prior to the election, Chandler frequently endorsed Bush from the pulpit and attacked Kerry.AU's Lynn noted that a bill pending in Congress would lift the IRS ban on pulpit politicking and encourage actions like Chandler's. The Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act (H.R. 235) is sponsored by U.S. Rep. Walter B. Jones (R-N.C.), "If we want more churches fractured along political lines, then the Jones bill is the way to go," Lynn said. "The sad controversy in North Carolina should spell the end of this misguided measure."
Americans United is a religious liberty watchdog group based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1947, the organization educates Americans about the importance of church-state separation in safeguarding religious freedom.

Oppose Politicizing Houses of WorshipKeep houses of worship from becoming partisan political rally halls!
H.R. 235, sponsored by Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC), would turn the inner sanctuaries and pulpits of America’s houses of worship into partisan political rally halls. You may remember that Representative Jones offered a strikingly similar bill in the 107th Congress, entitled the “Houses of Worship Political Speech Protection Act” which failed overwhelmingly by a vote of 178-239 under “suspension of the rules” on October 2, 2002. Though H.R. 235 represents a modified version of that legislation, there remain significant concerns about its implications for both our nation’s houses of worship and the integrity of our political process.
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Please Oppose H.R. 235

As your constituent, I urge you to oppose the Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act (H.R. 235). This bill would wreak havoc on religious integrity and the political process.
Current restrictions on houses of worship do not exist as an impediment to religious leaders speaking out on important moral issues of the day. In fact, pastors and other religious leaders already enjoy that unencumbered right.
Tax law stops churches and other tax-exempt entities from using their personnel and money to intervene in partisan political campaigns. In the process, the integrity of religious institutions is protected by keeping them focused on the principal goals of nearly every house of worship: sharing their moral and theological views and ministering to believers, not offering directions on which candidates deserve political support.
Federal tax law serves our nation’s religious community well, preventing houses of worship from being drawn into partisan politicking. It does not need “fixing.” I urge you to reject “The Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act.”

Tax them all! It seems that all the churches these days are becoming more political and that shouldn't be. Having them take on the politicians to make them think is one thing, but to tell others that they have to vote and be like the rest of the sheeple that are seeming to make up so much of this country any more. Well read all the facts not just what the government or the preachers want you to read.