Published November 19, 2005
IN THEORY
Q: The IRS has reportedly warned a high-profile church in Pasadena that it could lose its tax-exempt status because of an anti-war sermon from a guest speaker. What are your thoughts on this? Are you concerned about the line between religion and politics in your own sermons, and how crossing that line could single out a church or a temple?
A: There's something wrong here and it is bigger than the Internal Revenue Service threatening a church with a change in tax status. A few months ago when Pat Robertson openly called for the assassination of democratically elected president of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez FrÃas, was there a similar investigation of his religious credentials?
Or was he donning the hat of a politician and therefore protected by another set of rules?
And what about the mosques, synagogues and churches where hatred toward others is preached, advocated or even tolerated? Why are these institutions granted refuge under tax-exempt laws?
In the case of All Saints Episcopal Church, they are being singled out, and it is obvious. The truth is, I can't imagine a church being a church, without it championing peace and justice. I can't even imagine a clergyman, whether priest, minister, rabbi or imam, who can dare to stand in the sight of God and not preach peace and work for a world without war. I can't imagine this because I can't imagine Jesus standing for anything that would denigrate the sanctity of life.
Since our country was founded, issues of freedom, justice, peace and humanitarian duty have all been debated in the pulpits, in the pews and the forums established by the religious community. Run the course of history to the present and you will see the same for every time we have been confronted with challenges that touch the core of our liberty as a nation. Imagine where Civil Rights would be had it not been for Martin Luther King who leaned on his faith to build a movement for equality.
Today, the Church must continue with the same zeal and enthusiasm to be an advocate for the poor and the oppressed, to lead the way to justice and peace. If the government is set on stifling the Church's voice, it must have the courage to continue even at the cost of losing its nonprofit privileges. We hope that it will not come to this and so, we all need to accept the All Saints battle as our own. All Saints, their ministry and congregation are in our prayers.
FR. VAZKEN MOVSESIAN
Armenian Church
Youth Ministries
No comments:
Post a Comment