Priest: You might not have a church to go to if you dont vote the right way

[davidn3600]

The chaplain for a Florida-based Catholic law school bashed the idea of separation of church and state in a thinly-veiled call for supporters to vote for Republicans this year, Lifesite News reported.

“Somehow, Christians have come to buy the story that you cannot be political in church,” Father Michael Orsi said during an event earlier this month. “Let me tell you right now, oh yes, you can, and oh, yes, you better be. Because you might not have a church to go to if you don’t vote the right way in November.”

The “story” is actually a federal law passed in 1954 banning churches from “any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office” as a requirement to being listed as a 501(c)(3) organization.

Orsi, who was photographed last month protesting outside a Planned Parenthood clinic in Naples, rejected the concept, arguing that “the Bible is a political document.

He also contradicted himself, saying that Germany fell under Nazi control partly because churches refused to speak out against the threat against the country.

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“I’m not going to vote for a candidate who decides that we can redefine the meaning of marriage,” said Orci, referencing Democrat Hillary Clinton. “Our opponents believe once they destroy the family, once they destroy the churches, they can re-create society in their own image and their own likeness. That, my friends, is not just political. That is diabolical. Get it straight, for crying out loud — the devil is in this.”

http://www.rawstory.com/2016/09/conservative-priest-lashes-out-vote-the-right-way-or-you-might-not-have-a-church-to-go-to/

[napi21]

1. When are these "preachers" going to admit that the only thing they can't do is politics

from the pulpit? They can easily go out in front of their church and spout anything they want! They can go on the Radio and TV and do the same. If their parishioners really are affected by their political views, what they say and where they say it doesn't matter.

[tazkcmo]

2. Politic away Father

And kiss your tax exempt status goodbye.

[deathrind]

10. 👆 This.

I disagree with many of the positions Barry Goldwater had on issues but he was right on target about religion / christians.


"Mark my word, if and when these preachers get control of the [Republican] party, and they're sure trying to do so, it's going to be a terrible damn problem. Frankly, these people frighten me. Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can't and won't compromise. I know, I've tried to deal with them."

- Barry Goldwater

[yortsed snacilbuper]

13. "Christians believe they are acting in the name of God"

Plus he/she/it is invisible!

[Crash2Parties]

11. Nope - The GOP has successfully prevented any IRS investigations of churches since 2007.

[rurallib]

21. yep - pretty toothless law

[Crash2Parties]

23. The law is fine. The GOP has actively prevented the enforcement of it since 2007.

First, in 2007 a federal judge decided the IRS couldn't just investigate churches like anyone else; they had to name a specific person to sign off on all church investigations.

The IRS simply never did so.

In 2008, this started to gain recognition online when priests, bishops and pastors started telling people that if they voted for a Democrat or didn't vote for Romney, they'd burn in Hell, risk their eternal soul, and so on. Arch Bishops posted YouTube videos and got half page Op-Eds posted in dead tree papers & their websites. Voting guides - with the aforementioned threat to one's soul - went home in weekly church bulletins. But the story just wasn't catching the attention of mainstream media.

Then, just as it started to gain traction with the media...the GOP intentionally muddied the waters with their accusations of the IRS treating liberal NPO's different from conservative ones. The story was lost at that point, it couldn't compete with multiple press releases a week from Congressmen's PR offices. This continued through the 2012 elections.

Up to 2014 it was much the same. But then the IRS was taken to court and finally agreed to name a person to sign off on church investigations. Yay, right? Not so fast. Immediately the GOP House declared a Congressional investigation of the IRS for possibly treating conservative NPO's different (again). This had the effect of freezing all and any IRS investigations of churches. Then the House members went home for six weeks to campaign for the midterm elections. When the new year came, they slashed the IRS budget. Their "investigation" pretty much never even started, much less progressed, & there it stands today.

Now with the elections coming up, the House is once again accusing the IRS of focusing only on investigating conservative NPO's...

[jberryhill]

3. Many people are confused by the word "diabolical"

Diabolical comes from the Latin "di" meaning "two" and "bolus" meaning "ball". The point is to be suspicious of anything with two balls.

[MADem]

5. Trump should have run with Lance Armstrong as his running mate, then....

[jberryhill]

6. Dope and Doper

[MADem]

4. The New Pope needs to retire that clown.

He's touting the Old Pope's priorities. The new Pope likes to do the feed the hungry, clothe the naked, house the homeless, heal the sick, suffer the little children to come unto him type schtick. The new Pope, were he an American, would more likely vote Dem and would definitely not vote Republican on a bet.

[jberryhill]

7. Who did he vote to be Pope last time around?

[vlyons]

8. Pope John Paul II forbade priests entering politics

In 1980, Pope John Paul II unequivocally demanded that all priests withdraw from electoral politics. Fellow Democrat Father Robert John Cornell, who was seeking a rematch in Wisconsin, and Fr Robert Drinan (a Mass congressman) complied and did not seek reelection.

[Separation]

9. Wow

Interesting that that law was passed in 1954. That would put it right smack dab during the commie scare. Pushing religion and patriotism was really big. It around the same time, "Under God" was put into the pledge of allegiance, and "In God We Trust", was legally added to currency. I'll have to look up how that law got passed during those times.

I'm a big proponent of Separation of Church and State.

[Crash2Parties]

12. Ironic, considering it's the Church that has been the leader in persecuting LGBT people.

"Germany fell under Nazi control partly because churches refused to speak out against the threat against the country."

Padre, maybe you've not heard of the pink triangles some people had to wear?

[RelativelyJones]

14. "Your churches may be closed if a certain party gets elected"

What a disgrace. I hope his Democratic parishioners challenge him openly, fiercely and publicly.

[Turin_C3PO]

15. It's gotta

be killing this dude that, according to polls, Catholics are by far supporting Hillary Clinton.

[Warren DeMontague]

16. Guy representing organization that covered up decades of child abuse said what?

Let me guess, some unsubstantiated bullshit topped with a completely bogus assertion of moral authority.

[ck4829]

17. So he's going to vote for someone who could be an avatar of Mammon?

Someone who is inconsistent, someone who has redefined his marriage, someone who is for torture, someone who is dishonest to a T (no pun intended), and someone who wants to turn our country into a place where the marginalized and the refugee is unwelcome?

[Warren DeMontague]

18. he's using the Nazis as an example to argue for voting for the guy doing outreach to ACTUAL Nazis.

and using Nazi persecution of and LGBT people to warn about the pernicious danger of candidates who support equality for LGBT people.


faith based logic, I guess.

[yardwork]

19. Isn't lying against God's law?

[GoCubsGo]

27. No, but I think electioneering in church is against federal law.

At least as far as tax exemptions go. His church should lose theirs over this.

[HughBeaumont]

20. "you might not have a church to go to if you don’t vote the right way in November"

Where's the problem?

[dembotoz]

22. i actually fear the other way

trump and pence in particular would push all kind of bullshit in the name of christianity that make the taliban look like slackers

[Avalux]

24. Father Orsi needs to shut his mouth and do some soul-searching.

If he doesn't like our Constitution the Vatican can send him to another country.

[Takket]

25. Why would religion be on Trump's side?

By every measure Clinton is far more religious and loyal to the church than Trump, who cannot be described as much more than agnostic despite his attempt to show off his "Christian knowledge" by quoting "Two Corinthians".

[meow2u3]

29. LeVeyan Satanism, maybe?

[GoCubsGo]

26. His church needs to lose its tax-exempt status for this. n/t

[meow2u3]

28. meow2u3: Fr. Orsi may not have a seat in heaven if he keeps intimidating parishoners

into voting for the Antichrist.

[Initech]

30. Time to take away their tax exempt status!