CatholicVote.com: Pastors to challenge Minister Gag Rule

re: Joshua Mercer: "There’s a myth out there that churches don’t pay income tax in exchange for not talking about politics. Hogwash. Churches don’t pay taxes for two major reasons: 1. They are not involved in trade, but in trying to help people (spiritually and physically.) Churches after all, started hospitals, universities, etc. /2. Going back thousands of years to Ancient Egypt, governments have not taxed churches because the power to tax is the power to control. /Well, control is exactly what Lyndon Johnson wanted when he inserted language into the tax code prohibiting pastors from endorsing any candidate from the pulpit. Since 1954, any minister thinking of endorsing a candidate was suddenly threatened with massive taxation. /That’s not entirely accurate. Ministers were always free to endorse Democrats. They just weren’t free to endorse Republicans. Black pastors endorsed Democrats without any impunity. /Well, this Sunday, the Alliance Defense Fund is encouraging ministers to exercise their freedom of speech and religious freedoms by endorsing a candidate. They are challenging LBJ’s Minister Gag Rule. The Wall Street Journal reports ..."...