Thursday was an amazing day in Washington, D.C. You can’t say that very often.
First, it was the National Day of Prayer. It’s amazing to think about millions of Americans praying across our nation. We need it, especially in the swamp.
Second, as Vice President Mike Pence explained, Congress finally passed a bill that delivered the “beginning of the end of Obamacare.” Let’s hope the Senate approves and passes it soon, and hands it over to President Trump for signing into law.
Third, under the radar was another huge act of liberty: President Trump signed an executive order rolling back the Johnson Amendment, which prevents religious and other nonprofit organizations from endorsing political candidates. The executive order also allows people and businesses to claim religious exemptions.
The IRS website reads: Churches and other nonprofit organizations that are exempt from taxation “are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office.”
Way back in 1954, then-Sen. Lyndon Johnson, D-Texas, who would later become president (1963-1969), was trembling in his boots that certain nonprofit groups were supporting his opponent and going to prevent him from being elected. So, he pitched his IRS code revision (amendment), and it was passed without discussion or debate.
Ever since, the so-called Johnson Amendment has been used by the IRS and other liberals to undermine religious liberty and bully nonprofits from voicing their consciences or even voting preferences, with threats of taking away their tax-exempt status.
As Bob Unruh at WND reported: Trump’s executive order “also instructs that Christians no longer be targeted by the government with campaigns that violate their faith.”
Unruh further explained that James Dobson, the pioneer of Christian and family values and radio for tens of millions through Focus on the Family and now Family Talk, was among a small group at the Rose Garden for the executive-order signing.
Dobson said: “I have been privileged to serve five presidents. I’ve witnessed the ebb and flow of politics in this country for a half century, and I prayed with great anxiety about the future as I watched President Obama move this nation in a direction that defied the Constitution, especially as it relates to religious liberty.
“In all these years I’ve never found myself more optimistic about the preservation of our Judeo-Christian values as I am today,” Dobson said.
He further added that Thursday’s executive order “must be the first among others because the efforts by previous administrations to marginalize conservative communities of faith were real, thorough and complex.
“Yet, the combined effect of today’s executive order, legislative actions and prayer service on the White House lawn are unprecedented. This president and vice president will go down in history as defenders of religious liberty, and I commend them for it,” he said.
President Trump said in his National Day of Prayer proclamation:
We are also reminded and reaffirm that all human beings have the right, not only to pray and worship according to their consciences, but to practice their faith in their homes, schools, charities and businesses – in private and in the public square – free from government coercion, discrimination or persecution. Religion is not merely an intellectual exercise, but also a practical one that demands action in the world. Even the many prisoners around the world who are persecuted for their faith can pray privately in their cells. But our Constitution demands more: the freedom to practice one’s faith publicly.
The religious liberty guaranteed by the Constitution is not a favor from the government, but a natural right bestowed by God. Our Constitution and our laws that protect religious freedom merely recognize the right that all people have by virtue of their humanity. As Thomas Jefferson wisely questioned: “Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God?”
Could it be stated any better or clearer?
Like other religious restrictions, the primary problem with the Johnson Amendment is that it did exactly what the First Amendment says government should not do: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech …”
The president also explained in the Rose Garden via his executive order: “The Founders envisioned a nation in which religious voices and views were integral to a vibrant public square, and in which religious people and institutions were free to practice their faith without fear of discrimination or retaliation by the federal government.”
The bottom line to the repeal of Obamacare, rolling back of the Johnson Amendment and other additives in the religious liberty executive order is that the American people are granted more freedoms and choices, and fewer restrictions, which is exactly what our founders had in mind for the great experiment of our republic.
Again, the president declared in his Rose Garden speech:
We’re a nation of believers. Faith is deeply embedded into the history of our country. We will not allow people of faith to be targeted, bullied or silenced anymore. … We remember this eternal truth: Freedom is not a gift from government; freedom is a gift from God. … Too long the federal government has used the power of the state as a weapon against people of faith.
About this, let there be no doubt: It is President Trump’s goal to make sure “that the federal government will never ever penalize any person for their protected religious beliefs.”
Goodbye Obamacare, Johnson Amendment and other religious restrictions. R.I.P.
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