Hardcore Romance

Separation of Church and State - Make a Difference

SFCityDom (c) 2008

The First Amendment

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

These 45 words that make all the difference in our society.

The framers had it right. Government has no place in religion and religion has no place in government.

Before the US Constitution, governments would use the religious authority to control the rabble and in return, the religious authority would have the ability to invade people’s lives.

In order to maintain their tax-exempt status religious organizations can’t be active in politics. This includes campaigns for office, campaigns for initiatives, and lobbing lawmakers.

A church or religious organization will be regarded as attempting to influence legislation if it contacts, or urges the public to contact, members or employees of a legislative body for the purpose of proposing, supporting, or opposing legislation, or if the organization advocates the adoption or rejection of legislation.

The above is from the official IRS guidelines for Churches and Religious organizations.

The Mormon Church has been actively pursuing a ban on same-sex marriage for 10 years. News Report

Here are copies of the memos mentioned in the above news report.

Seems the Mormon Church has been active on this issue for sometime, which is a clear violation of the IRS code. The memo clearly mention the political process and working with the Catholic church on this issue.

I have written my elected officials at the federal level asking for an investigation of the Mormon Church’s tax-exempt status. I have included a reference to the above IRS document.

So what can you do, write your elected officials.

In California, our senators are Dianne Feinstein and Barbra Boxer.

Here is a list of California Congress Persons contact information. 

Outside of California, here is Congress and the Senate contact information and .

People in California may also want to write the following: Gov Aronld Shwazanegger, Attorney General Jerry Brown, and your state representative. 

-Matthew

 

Take Action!

San Francisco Protest Information

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We did it! However, there is more to do! - Updated.

SFCityDom (c) 2008

Last Tuesday night, America lived up to some of its promise. The promise was written down 220 years ago. The Constitution is not a perfect document. Not then and not now.

I am not a love it or leave it kind of American. A true patriot challenges the assumptions of the government and the govern and pushes to make this a more perfect union. The goal is not to protect what is, but to protect what can be.

Along with the joy on Tuesday night there was a huge disappointment. The Prop 8 “Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry" initiative passed in California. This is the first time that the California Constitution has been amended to eliminate the rights of a group of citizens.

There is no reason to eliminate anyone’s right to marry.

Any religious argument is meaningless and yes, I am discounting the religious beliefs of many. Religion has no place in any political debate. The framers made a point of this and we don’t live in a theocracy.

Any social argument is with out merit. Studies have shown over and over again, children raised by same-sex couples have the same out come as “traditional” families.

If you think being gay is a choice, ask yourself when you decided to be straight.

If you think being gay is a sin, what the fuck are you doing reading my site!

If you find this bigotry as repugnant as I do, there are things you can do.

DONANTE!

ACLU

EQCA

NCLR

WRITE A LETTER!

TAKE ACTION!

The LGBT community cannot do this without the support of straight people.

Your freedom is only as good as the person you are willing to stand up for.

Matthew

For people moralizing about the value of religion, here is an excellent article from the New Yorker comparing the sexual attitudes among youth in red and blue states. Red Sex, Blue Sex. Seems blue works better.