Trump’s Latest Executive Order Protects Religious Liberty
In keeping with his promise to protect and “vigorously promote religious freedom,” President Trump issued an executive order May 4th in part mandating the Treasury Department not to pursue “adverse action against any house of worship or other religious organization for speaking out about moral or political issues from a religious perspective.”
The main purpose of this order is to alleviate the burden of the Johnson Amendment, enacted in 1954, which restricted political speech by tax-exempt churches.
As communities of faith, religious organizations have a vital interest in protecting their freedom to express specific beliefs – whether political or faith-based – without worrying about the same requirements and restrictions placed on secular nonprofits.
Though many current federal and state laws already include provisions to protect religious liberty, President Trump’s executive order goes a step further to ensure religious organizations remain free of government regulation.
To ensure your policies and procedures remain within current religious protections, the following steps should be in place:
- Clarify your organization’s beliefs, particularly on current social issues.
- Determine standards by which your organization exercises and expresses these beliefs as a faith-based community. These standards may encompass the organization’s leaders, members, employees, volunteers, guests, activities, and facility uses.
- Document these beliefs and standards and describe how the organization’s particular activities advance its religious mission.
By following these steps, your church, synagogue, or mosque will remain protected and at liberty to practice and promote shared religious beliefs regarding current social and political issues.
We commend our religious community for playing a crucial role in society by serving so many of those in need, and appreciate all you do to make our lives and communities better. Thank you for making a real difference.
At Online Stewardship Accounting & Consulting Services, we’re honored to serve you as your management and accounting resource. Please contact us at your convenience: at Lynn@OnlineStewardship.com or 904-398-4747.
Posted 5-22-17
