Why is this even getting play at "Taxing Tennessee"? Just because pastors may have to pay taxes if they publicly endorse parties and candidates? A congregation's tax-free non-profit status is an entitlement by any other name. Instead of welfare queens, we've got a lot of welfare clerics running around making lots of money and not giving anything back to our common public life (and please no explanations about how proselytizing people is a public service).
I'm not necessarily opposed to tax exemptions until pastors and their no tax friends start whining about how hurtful and hard it is to take the free money they're given in this constitutional democracy and at once restrain themselves from partisanship. Pastors and churches are perfectly free to endorse a party's candidate if they want, but they should be willing to give up their government subsidies if they do so.
Otherwise, they should just be thankful for free ride they have for their prayer closets. Congregations have a lot of latitude to work in the political sphere and still hang on to their non-profit status. Beyond that, they should be silent.
UPDATE: Aunt B. says I got it all wrong.
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