Jerald Finney
Copyright © July 7, 2015
One may, for the time being, go to the following articles to get some sense of what is going on.
(109) Now’s the Time To End Tax Exemptions for Religious Organizations (062815)(Written by a supporter of gay rights. He has the right answer, but for the wrong reasons. The federal government will probably not end tax exemptions for religious organizations because of the control they would lose over such organizations.)
(108) Republicans begin push for First Amendment Defense Act (062615)
The answer of “Christians,” except for a small remnant, in America to the Obergefell decision is, as usual, political, not spiritual; and the answer of their Republican Congress is all wrong on so many counts. They propose a First Amendment Defense Act. As they have for a long time, they believe that they can get America right under God even though the churches they are members of are not biblically right, nor are they under God – they are under the state and federal governments as guaranteed by their corporate, Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3) or Section 508(c)(1)(A) status. Tragically, they chose legal status as opposed to First Amendment separation of church and state status; they violated both God’s law and the First Amendment and put themselves under state corporate status and federal government 501(c)(3) or 508(c)(1)(A) status. In other words, their churches are voluntarily, to one degree or another, under the god of this world; so how in the world can they believe that they can straighten out civil government, which is – by Christ’s own teaching as explained throughout his word – under the god of this world?
Many “Christians” spend tremendous time and effort in their efforts to “bring America back under God” by working politically, usually in the Republican Party. They spend so much time doing so that they do not have time to study the Bible, history, and law from a spiritual perspective; indeed, from any perspective. They gobble up the false teachings of David Barton and others, as they scurry about in their futile efforts. They think that we owe our religious freedom, as guaranteed in the First Amendment, for example, to the Pilgrims and Puritans. They are told that the Pilgrims and Puritans came to America for religious freedom and because of that, we have our First Amendment. They do not know that that is ridiculous. For example, they do not know that the Puritans came to America to establish a colony with religious freedom for themselves only. They do not know anything about Puritan persecution of “heretics” in the New England colonies, and that Rhode Island was the first government in the history of the world, of any lasting significance, with complete religious freedom. They know little or nothing of the history of the colonies between the arrival of the Puritans and the Revolutionary War. They know nothing of the actual history of the First Amendment.
You may ask, “How does he know that what he said in the last paragraph is true?” The answer is simple. After being saved in 1982, I worked in the Republican Party for 20+ years. I served on committees, worked as judge and clerk at elections, served as precinct chairman, went to the precinct and higher Conventions. I read “Christian” books, articles, and essays which were constantly being repackaged and disseminated to “Christians.” I read more scholarly books by “Christian” law professors and authors. I fell hook, line, and sinker for this false propaganda. By the late 1990s, I began to see that all our efforts were counterproductive. American morality was much worse than 10 years before. In 2003, I began serious Bible studies on the doctrines of government, church, and the relationship between church and state. As before, I was still trying to find out the history of the First Amendment. God led me to discover the true history of the First Amendment – to what really happened between the arrival of the Puritans and the adoption of the First Amendment. He showed me the truth about the Christian revisionism I had been subjected to. For more on this, see the following: Secular and Christian revisionism (Section IV, Chapter 2 of God Betrayed) and The consequences of secular and Christian revisionism (Section IV, Chapter 3 of God Betrayed).
The political endeavors of most “Christians” are not according to knowledge; and most never seem to learn this. Worse yet, as they work politically, they do nothing spiritually in their churches according to the biblical principles of church, state, and separation of church and state, and pursuant to the guidelines for God’s soldiers of the cross in the Bible. They are being destroyed because of lack of knowledge. Other “Christians” work nowhere – in their churches or their civil governments. They just seek the American dream and are puzzled, at best, about what is going on in this country. They “believe in God” and go to church, sometimes. Of course, there is, as always, a small remnant who follow the Lord.
Those “Christians” outside the remnant who wish to begin to gain some insight into the correct response of Christians to what is happening, see the resources on this website beginning with the article, My Response to Obergefell, the United States Supreme Court same sex marriage decision. My writings already explain what is wrong with all Republican plans, including this latest one, and with the political and religious activities of “Christians.” This quickly written article and other resources on this website, some linked to in this article, explain all a true believer who is diligently seeking truth needs to know to see what is wrong, and what believers need to do now, and in the future. The remnant already has it figured out.
Can you imagine, a law to protect the First Amendment? The name of the law itself is ridiculous. The First Amendment is the highest man made law of the land. It is above any lower law. Sadly, it is not above the Supreme Court. As one of my law professors said, “The First Amendment means what the Supreme Court says it means.” However, God and his law is above the Supreme Court, and above all man-made laws including the Constitution. As long as man’s law reflects God’s law, man’s law should be honored. Furthermore, tax-exempt churches have taken themselves out from under the First Amendment and placed themselves under the Fourteenth Amendment for many purposes. More importantly, they have grieved our Lord by combining themselves with the state, through incorporation, and with the federal government, through tax exempt (501(c)(3) or 508(c)(1)(A) status). They have voluntarily placed themselves under government laws (state non-profit corporation laws are laws which a church places herself under when she incorporates; 501(c)(3) and 508(c)(1)(A) are laws), thereby violating the First Amendment:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”
What good is it going to do, then, for the government to pass a law defending the First Amendment? The Supreme Court can easily declare that law null and void. Should the Court do so, the words of the First Amendment would still be there. The Supreme Court may declare a law unconstitutional without any real reason, as they have done many times; usually, when they have done so, their “opinion,” although sounding very scholarly to the unlearned, is illogical and contrary to reason. State incorporated 501(c)(3) and 508(c)(1)(A) churches have taken themselves from under the First Amendment for many purposes.
The First Amendment has stood the test of time, so far; but the day is fast approaching when the First Amendment, as conceived, will be nullified. That day is hastened by the complete ignorance – past, present, and future – and the unknowledgeable and unwise actions of “Christians” acting politically, not spiritually, in America. Based upon some First Amendment Supreme Court jurisprudence, it is not inconceivable that the Supreme Court could declare the First Amendment unconstitutional.
I repeat, by placing themselves under a law, churches violate the First Amendment and the Bible principle of separation of church and state. They place themselves partially under another head. Christ wants to be the only head of his churches. Incorporated 501(c)(3) or 508(c)(1)(A) “churches” are, by legal definition, religious organizations. A corporation is a creature of the state. An incorporated church is under the law which creates it. A 501(c)(3) or 508(c)(1)(A) church is under or subject to the rules and regulations which come with 501(c)(3). The rules are made by the federal government; the regulations are made by the Internal Revenue Service. The fifth rule, “shall not violate fundamental public policy,” was added by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), and upheld by the United States Supreme Court. See God Betrayed, pp. 386-388 (link to PDF of the book). Thus, one 501(c)(3) rule that churches are under and afraid of was made by the IRS. 501(c)(3) states the other four rules which were enacted by legislature and signed into law by the President. Keep in mind that the federal legislature and President, or the IRS, can unilaterally add additional rules to 501(c)(3).
As explained in the following, the First Amendment is a statement of the biblical principle of separation of church and state (something most American “Christians” do not understand):
The History of the First Amendment
An Abridged History of the First Amendment
“I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13.3, 5). These words need to be heeded by all Americans, but especially by all American “Christians.”
END
The Sodomite Agenda, Religious Organizations and Government Tyranny
I Pledge Allegiance to God and His Kingdom, Not to America
The Hierarchy of Law as it relates to sodomy and sodomite marriage (060115)
Simply Church: God's Prescribed Relationship Between Church and State 