I hate to even say it, however... how many of these pastors are black, and they are betting the IRS won't do anything to them for supporting Obama from the pulpit.

Churches are big business today and shouldn't have tax exemptions. Don't think these nonprofits that get involved in elections should be exempt either.

The power to tax is the power to destroy. Churches are, and of right ought to be, free from paying taxes. Otherwise an all-controlling State could and would control them, too.

#2 I've got some news for you. Most churches in the US are not big business. They are relatively small congregations that operate on shoestring budgets and can barely pay the salary of the pastor and make ends meet. A large part of their budgets go toward their communities in the form of charitable assistance programs. Just because these churches take advantage of one Constitutional right, does not mean they give up any of the others. They are just as as entitled to voice their opinions as you are, and just as free to take the tax deductions.

Reuters is lying. I know of many churches who participated today. This included Catholic and Protestant congregations across the country. Today was NOT about backing SPECIFIC candidates. In my Church it was a Godly Pastor with a copy of each political party's platform and the Word of God. It was about standing up to encourage Christians to vote Bible. It was about prayerfully casting your vote as a sacred responsibility. It was about continuing the 4o Days of Prayer and Fasting for our nation to have a Great Awakening.

Obama has violated our constitution and put politics into religion. The pastors have an issue about putting religion into politics. I hope those religions will put Obama out of politics.

Hundreds of black ministers spoke loud against Obama's stand on gay marriage and those who broke the law were more likely to have said no to voting for the won.

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” A tax on religion is based on law respecting an establishment of religion. A restriction on religious speech is a prohibition respecting the free exercise thereof.

Democrats consider religion to be a strictly personal matter, i.e., a private matter. They don’t feel that religious views have any place in public discussions of the public’s business. For example, lifestyle issues (gay marriage, for example) are for them a matter of personal choice, possibly subject to Constitutional protections. As such, religious views are out of place in public discussions of policy. Further, because many Democrats feel these issues are Constitutionally protected, they tend to feel that these matters are above the law and should be decided by the courts.

The "rule of law" means little any more.

No religious organization has ever lost its tax exempt status due to this, never.

People who insist there is a "separation of church and state" that requires religion and religious men to remain silent on "secular" matters need to learn about Jonathan Mayhew and the sermons he preached in the mid 1700's.

Without Jonathan Mayhew, we may not have had the Revolution, or it may have gone the other way. Another good source of the importance of speaking from the pulpit is:

http://blackroberegiment.wallbuilders.com/historical-resources/historical-sermons.aspx

A quick look confirms that all the sermons referenced on this webpage occurred prior to the Civil War, which was-itself-long prior to the LIEberal invention of the "wall of separation" between church and state.