Really, the idea of making churches (and mosques and synagogues) tax-exempt was a favor (though one Religious Right web site I found used the term "favor" derisively...what can you do?). Made the law of the land in 1954, the intent was to make it crystal clear places of worship should not and will not be taxed.

Unless, of course, they break the rules.

We are, after all, a nation of rules.

And the rules aren't hard:

Church tax exemptions are in jeopardy if an organization engages in direct political activity either against or on behalf of a political candidate or in an attempt to directly influence the passage of particular legislation.

Now, though, the rules seem to be chaffing certain powerful Religious Right leaders, like the ever-pleasant James Dobson, and, because of said chaffing, they're pushing for the laws to be struck down as an unconstitutional restriction on the free exercise of religion.

Oh, no, no - not the part about not having to pay taxes, silly, just the part with the rules they have to follow to keep their tax exemption.

So, how are they going to draw said lawsuit? By finding a whole cadre of pastors to all, on September 28, specifically endorse candidates for office from the pulpit, thus knowingly breaking the law.

And they don't seem to be having trouble finding pastors who will take the plunge.

“The government should not be telling the church what it should or should not be saying,” [Rev. Steve] Riggle [senior pastor of Grace Community Church in Houston] said. Riggle told The Journal that he announced from the pulpit in March that he was supporting former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee in the Texas Republican primary.

“As a pastor, a private citizen, I can speak for myself,” Riggle said. “The IRS cannot quench my voice.”

Ah, but, when speaking from the pulpit, were you speaking for yourself, or were you speaking as the church? You know what, that's fine. Say whatever you want. But be willing to pay taxes if you violate the regulations that come along with tax exempt status- it's just that simple. If you want the benefits, you have to follow the rules.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State, logically, agree with me:

Said AU Executive Director Barry W. Lynn, “This is a truly deplorable scheme. Federal tax law rightly requires churches and other tax-exempt groups to use their resources for religious and charitable purposes, not partisan politics. When the faithful put their hard-earned dollars in the collection plate, they don’t expect it to wind up pushing some politician’s campaign.

“The Religious Right leaders who lust for political power in America will apparently stop at nothing, not even the sacred character of the church,” Lynn continued. “The vast majority of clergy do not seek to turn their incense-filled sanctuaries into smoke-filled political backrooms.

Dr. Dobson and his ilk treat church tax exemptions like they're an absolute right, like churches are inherently entitled to not have to pay taxes. That, in addition to so many things trumpeted by the good doctor, is a sham, and has no foundation in any reality other than the one inside Dobson's head. No organization has any right to being tax-exempt- it's a privilege passed to an organization by the government- if that organization follows the rules. Say it with me this time: Don't like the rules? Pay taxes.

Churches aren't getting a raw deal and churches aren't being unduly or unfairly put-upon- they're just being held to the same rules as everyone else.

But it's just not fair!

"The intimidation of churches by leftist groups using the IRS has grown to a point that ADF has no choice but to respond," said Stanley. "The number of threats being reported to ADF is growing because of the aggressive campaign to unlawfully silence the church. IRS rules don’t trump the Constitution, and the First Amendment certainly trumps the Johnson amendment."

Strange...because, actually, the courts have already on a number of occasions found that, actually, the Johnson amendment doesn't violate anyone's constitutional rights:

Americans United says Religious Right groups should not be so eager to get this matter back into the courts because they will likely lose. In May of 2000, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled unanimously that the IRS acted legally when it stripped a New York church of its tax-exempt status for running a 1992 newspaper ad advising people that voting for Bill Clinton was a sin.

So to what does all of this come down? What is the base reason the top echelon leaders of the Religious Right movement are encouraging pastors to break the law, risk their church's very livelihood, and sully their hands in the very worldly world of politics?

Ah...politics.

Why is the Religious Right so eager to ramp up church-based politicking? One reason may be that the organizations are terrified that their Republican allies will face setbacks in this November’s elections. They see mobilizing the party’s fundamentalist base through churches as crucial to brightening the GOP’s electoral fortunes.

Too often in this country one group decides that the rules that are good enough for everyone else shouldn't really apply to them, and that, really, it's only fair special allowances be made just for for them. That's exactly what Dobson and his cadre of "There isn't a separate of church and state, really" cronies are pushing with this effort to have their cake and eat it, too.

In the end, I say, "More power to you!" Go ahead, pastors, lose your tax-exempt status- you might just get your right wing radical elected, but you'll do real damage to your flock. Maybe then more of you will start to look at Dobson and his friends less like leaders, and more like the puppeteers they're trying to be.