Churches should pay for using the bully pulpit

Re “Conservatives Also Irked by Probe of Churches,” Nov. 8

Our founding fathers, in all their wisdom, made specific mention of this. After all, wasn’t that one of the main reasons for crossing the Atlantic and coming to the New World to live and enjoy religious freedom from the persecution of the government? For many years now, and it seems to be getting worse all the time, clergy of all faiths have delved into the political arena and made their feelings known, even so far as to suggest as to how the faithful might cast their ballots.

I think the time has come for the IRS to vigorously investigate all such meddling. If you want to play in this arena, padre, pull out the checkbook and pony up like the rest of us.

MARTIN W. DOWNS

Rancho Mirage

*

How ironic that a lawyer would cite the free-speech provision of the 1st Amendment to support retention of a church’s tax-exempt status after the church’s minister gave a sermon on a topic generally considered a political issue.

We wouldn’t have to worry whether the IRS was treating this church unfairly if we heeded another 1st Amendment provision -- that which forbids government from establishing religion -- and quit giving taxpayer-funded subsidies to all churches.

DAVID MICHELS

Encino