Just Tax the Churches and Get It Over With

I see that once again, regular as a four year clock, the barbarians are at the gate of the separation of church and state. The latest assault, though, carries the novelty of being a widely organized attack in the form of 33 different pastors supported by the Alliance Defense Fund. While the attack is being monitored by the Internal Revenue Service and may not prove any more or less effective than previous attempts, this may be an opportune time to send up the white flag, admit that the effort is noble but hopeless, and accept the fact that churches will continue to be used as powerful political tools. This should give us full power to tax them, as with any other organization, and employ education as a more appropriate tool to protect the congregants.

Prohibitions against such parochial meddling are both sensible and urgent, though perhaps perpetually destined to fail. The motives of those who rail against these rules are equally both selfish and clear. Whether you chart their roots to colonial days and the origins of the first amendment or the more recent 1954 additions to the tax code, the need for them encompasses far more than government theory and the consequences are potentially dire. Even if you find the analogy offensive, such restrictions are very much akin to the bans on teachers sleeping with students (including those above the legal age of consent) or doctors engaging in similar relationships with patients.

Let’s say “Pastor Bob” runs into you down at the local Quickie-Mart, dressed in his civilian clothes, and says, “Man, that Congressman Adams is such a jerk. No way he’s experienced enough to run for Senate.” You might agree with him or not, depending upon your sensibilities. But if Pastor Bob greets you from the altar on Sunday morning, proclaiming that Congressman Adams’ policies are sinful and that, by supporting him, you are dooming the mortal souls of yourself and your family to an eternal lake of fire, the situation is far different. These restrictions are a recognition of the fact that we sometimes place ourselves in the hands of physical, emotional or spiritual superiors who can overrule our normal freedom of choice.

Of course, the arguments against this generally run along the same lines. “Well, if you don’t like the sermon, you are free to leave and attend a different church.” This claim falls apart on its face on two points. First, not everyone will have the same level of resistance to a church leader who they have been raised to believe speaks with the authority of The Lord. Conversely, if you make that choice to walk out, you are tacitly admitting that your fellow congregants are sheep with no control of their own destiny (who you just abandoned) and that the pastor in question is not suitable to lead them.

The sad fact, of course, is that such things go on in churches all the time. Not all churches, of course, but enough to make any real watchdog efforts futile. Power brings temptation, the power to steer your flock onto “the right path” will always overcome the law abiding nature of some church leaders. With that in mind, perhaps we should encourage the IRS to simply turn these 33 pastors loose to do as they will, and inform the rest of the churches that they can do likewise. Of course, they will have to pay taxes, but we could use the revenue anyway.

We already educate children about the boundaries of allowed contact with teachers and help is available for patients who are abused by doctors or therapists. Such education could also be made available regarding men of the cloth who step over the bounds of secular propriety. Will we reach all of them? It’s unlikely in the extreme, but we would probably reach a lot more than we do today.