It's time to revisit and repeal the Johnson Amendment

In referencing the 1954 Johnson Amendment and possible changes to it, a Dec. 17 letter titled “Nonprofits should serve communities not candidates” stated mid-paragraph that “charitable nonprofits must stop short of endorsing political candidates or spending money on election activities. This legal restriction is integral to the identity, reputation, and mission of charitable nonprofits and is supported by almost all nonprofits.”

The above is a load of hooey. Why would an organization, nonprofit or not, desire to be gagged by law when, if they wanted to be silent on any given issue, they could abstain from comment or assistance. Clearly, they would not, but this big government liberal mini think-tank likes to imagine everybody should want some bureaucrat control-freak to have them by the throat and be in their face with benevolent guidance on what they can and cannot do with their opinions or money in the free market of beliefs.

In this screed Richard Turbiak, Linda Engh-Grady and Chany Ockert want us to believe they are concerned about all nonprofit institutions lest they be abused by politicians and their operatives seeking contributions, endorsements and favoritism. When in fact they have only one nonprofit in their crosshairs just as the original cause provoked the Johnson Amendment to be written and passed into law. And that is to gag the Christian churches in their opposition to corrupt politicians and immoral laws.

The amendment was Lyndon Johnson’s revenge because he was angry with an organized Christian opposition to his Senate run that almost succeeded. It seems those Baptist Texans knew their man and the mudhole he had for a heart.

Well, you can’t gag one specific organization without revealing your true motives. So Lyndon invited all the elected pigs feeding at the public trough that were having problems with the unbending morals of God’s children to join him in gagging all nonprofits; because according to the above authors they wanted to be shut up; they were begging for it for integrity’s sake. So what’s a politician gonna do. You give ’em what they want.

The Christian churches’ mandate from God is to oppose evil, as He defines evil. And that includes opposing bent politicians and pandering laws that promote the corruption of weak-willed and base humanity.

But Lyndon Johnson stole a march on God and the church and with this bright idea neutered every minister and deacon across the country and now after 64 years of court-sanctioned immorality we have: 65 million murdered babies with their body parts being auctioned off, rampant sodomites persecuting businessmen for their righteous beliefs, our children sexualized in first grade and their families’ morals attacked thereafter through ridicule and enticement to deviant sexual experimentation, their Caucasian origins demonized, their human origins fabricated in fantasies, their IQ and knowledge base deliberately stunted, patriotism denigrated, millions of men morally compromised and women tormented with the consequences of abortion, our progeny shackled to 20 trillions of debt and counting, a nation of children and adults addicted to shameful pornography, and the invasion of a malevolent God that failed at the gates of Vienna but is doing quite well in America through the superior wisdom of our elected go-along-to-get-along politicians, judges and educators.

Many thanks to Lyndon Johnson and his like-minded supporters and their post 1954 avalanche of unintended consequences from silencing the mouths of those moralizing Christians.

Richard Turbiak, Linda Engh-Grady and Chany Ockert don’t seem to know what the First Amendment law demands of Congress, so let’s look at it for them.

“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.”

By constitutional law:

1) Congress cannot establish a religion.

2) Congress cannot prohibit the free exercise of religion or its mandate from God.

3) Or abridge the freedom of speech or the press.

4) Or prohibit the peaceable assembly of the people.

5) Or stop the petitioning of the government for a redress of grievances

All of which pertain to the business of the church.

Without trying to play lawyer here and for the sake of brevity, the First Amendment was plainly written and meant to be plainly understood by the average man.

The Johnson Amendment is illegal in toto and only cited by offended politicians, their political operatives and compromised churchmen. The latter fearing men more than God and the loss of revenue.

The Johnson Amendment must go the way of Prohibition.

Adams is a resident of Kalispell.