This is interesting since I am a employee of the IRS. And have not heard
this.

-----Original Message-----
From: The Electronic Church [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Sharon Hooley
Sent: Wednesday, April 19, 2006 8:36 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: This is Scary!

ACLJ

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 2006

Dear Sharon,

Don't allow the Internal Revenue Service to close your church and
silence 
your religious leaders!

Recently, I sent you an email to inform you of a vague, half-century-old
law 
which enables the IRS to shut down your house of worship.

This obscure law is being used by Americans United for Separation of
Church 
and State (AU) and others to intimidate churches into silence on moral 
issues.

Join our nationwide campaign to give our religious leaders back their
voice 
for morality by adding your name to our Houses of Worship FREE SPEECH 
PETITION.

It all began in 1954 when then-Senator Lyndon B. Johnson sought
political 
retribution against an opponent who was assisted in his campaign by two 
non-profit
organizations.

As a bill to revise the tax code was being debated on the floor of the 
Senate, LBJ pushed a little-noticed amendment that barred all tax-exempt

groups -
including churches - from participating in political activity.

The penalty:  loss of tax-exempt status.  A heavy price to pay for 
exercising their free speech rights.

Today, churches in America ARE paying the price.  They are threatened
with 
lawsuits and the revocation of their tax-exempt status.  Intimidation is

silencing
our ministers on crucial topics like abortion and same-sex marriage!

In other words - churches are putting their tax-exempt status at risk 
whenever they speak out on issues of the day.

We must put an end to this!  This is a blatant violation of our First 
Amendment free speech rights.

But we need your signature to help stop this injustice and protect our 
ministers and houses of worship.
Add your name to our online FREE SPEECH PETITION and make your voice
heard!

Religious leaders not only have a constitutional right to address the
moral 
issues of the day, many believe they also have a responsibility to do so
- 
especially
in the context of political campaigns.

This country has a rich and welcomed history of turning to churches and 
houses of worship during the debates of the great moral issues of the
day.

Why have we put the IRS - which is designed to collect revenue for the 
general treasury - in the position of being the speech police?

At the ACLJ, we have an important opportunity to correct the errors of
the 
past.  That's why the Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act is
so 
vital!
 But we must have your help.

Lend your name to our FREE SPEECH PETITION today.
Your name will be added to tens of thousands of others in this
nationwide 
campaign.  With it, we will stand together and protect the rights given
to 
us
by our Founding Fathers.

I encourage you to forward this email on to family members, friends, and

church members as well to get the word out on this issue!

Thank you for your immediate action to further the cause of freedom.

To ensure that you continue to receive e-mails from the ACLJ,
please add [log in to unmask] to your address book.

American Center for Law and Justice
P.O. Box 90555, Washington, D.C. 20090-0555
Phone: (800) 296-4529
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American Center for Law and Justice is a tax-exempt, not-for-profit, 
religious corporation as defined under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal

Revenue Code,
specifically dedicated to the ideal that religious freedom and freedom
of 
speech are inalienable, God-given rights. The Center's purpose is to 
educate,
promulgate, conciliate, and where necessary, litigate, to ensure that
those 
rights are protected under the law. The organization has participated in

numerous
cases before the Supreme Court, Federal Court of Appeals, Federal
District 
Courts, and various state courts regarding freedom of religion and
freedom 
of
speech.

As always, let us know of threats to freedom in your area by calling
(757) 
226-2489.  And tune in to our daily radio program, "Jay Sekulow Live!"

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