"We are going to put Satanic chaplains in Florida schools, nothing in the bill places limits on who can become a chaplain, and Ron DeSantis can not simply amend the Constitution limiting the religious liberty of some by proclamation from the podium. "
excellent, yes. exactly. @thesatanictemple
I’m Christian and have donated to the Satanic Temple. Separation of Church and State is good for both institutions. I want the church out of politics and I want politics out of the church.
If there are politics in your church, it’s not really a church… and the IRS would very much like to know
Churches can have stances on political issues. They can’t have a stance on how to vote.
A example would be gay marriage (to be clear, I’m 100% supportive of LGBT+). Many churches have been opposed to homosexuality for millenia. However, in the second half of of the 20th century it became a relevant political issue. That didn’t mean the churches had to stop talking about it. I fact, that would be an example of the state inserting itself into religious teaching.
It’s a fine line to walk. Churches don’t pay some taxes, but they do pay others (my old church had a building it rented to a for-profit business, and that rent was taxable), and the employees all pay income tax. They also have some very-specific equal-employment exceptions. They can require that employees who serve a religious function be a practicing member of the faith and follow the rules of the church.
That is: the pastor and other religious-leadership employees of a Southern Baptist church can be fired if they’re not Christian, are gay, or have an extra-martial affair. But the sound guy, finance director, and janitor cannot, because their job duties don’t include religious leadership.