Anyone who would take political advice from the clergy deserves every bad thing that happens to them as a result. The Christian right sees religion as the solution to all this country’s problems, without ever providing a single example to support their claims. The Bible-belt South has some of this country’s worst social metrics, but they dismiss things like that as the work-product of people who were not TRUE Christians. If Christianity is the solution, then why was the Civil Rights Act necessary?
Even if churches were subject to taxes, it seems to me that most of them would owe little to no income tax. Deductible expenses would likely be close to revenue. Property taxes would be something else.
And the megachurches are likely a different story but, hey, they are rich and I’ve no problem taxing the rich.
From the time we arrived at BWI to clearing security was 30 minutes — 10 of those were waiting until it was less than 4 hours before flight time so I could print the baggage tags at the Southwest kiosk. We signed up for TSA Pre-check a few weeks ago. Security took us less than 5 minutes.
Someone wisecracked that the longest line was for breakfast at the Silver Diner.
Why do churches have a tax-exempt status to begin with? Doesn't Romans 13:6-7 tell believers to pay their taxes and why? I'd think they'd be the FIRST to pony up.
They have tax-exempt status because they are seen by the general public as a non-profit (I would like to see the balance sheets from the RCC and LDS) public good. The oldest Christian Fucking Privilege in the country.
I have said many times I really don't mind churches being tax-exempt, I just think they need to follow all the rules that other tax-exempt entities must, instead of being seen as non-profit charities by default.
"Why do churches have a tax-exempt status to begin with?"
Religious organisations in the UK are charities because "Advancement of religion" is counted as a charitable purpose. It is a thing that the National Secular Society has been trying to get abolished for a long time. I suspect that at least part of the reason it hasn't is that the "Church of England" is an established church with the King as the head of it.
Let me be clear: I am very glad that the Johnson Amendment is out there. Evangelical and other churches that wish to insist on breaching their tax-exempt status deserve to face consequences for their unconstitutional actions. The problem is that THERE HAVE BEEN NO CONSEQUENCES. I cannot remember a time in the past 20 years when I have heard that the Johnson Amendment was actually exercised against a church that blatantly endorsed a candidate for office.
The reason is simple: the IRS office in charge of dealing with the Johnson Amendment has not been properly funded in DECADES. If there is no action, it is because there is no money to support the necessary action. Further, it is a safe bet that there will be none forthcoming during the Trump administration, as they have wanted to eliminate the JA practically since Trump took office.
So yes, I'm glad that this attempt failed. I just wish something could be done to put some teeth into that amendment.
Corruption at it's finest: elected officials defunding the one part of the government that actually *makes* money enforcing the law, because their major campaign donors are the biggest crooks not obeying those laws. Yet another reason for campaign finance reform. But we'll have to wait for a different SCOTUS for that...Roberts says money IS speech, don'cha know.
I’m afraid the corrupt SCOTUS situation will last my lifetime and then some if we don’t make some radical changes fast. We can start by replacing every corporatist Democrat in congress with young(er) progressives.
As an “older millennial” I’ve never experienced anything close to a “healthy middle class” life that my parents talked about. Capitalism on steroids is literally hell on earth when you are working 80 hr work weeks for corrupt CEO’s for little pay. Using the bathroom is a crime because time is money at these jobs. I wish I were exaggerating. This is why Gen Z is so cynical and has decided just not to participate at all. The majority of congress is out of step with reality.
“Under Christianity neither morality nor religion has any point of contact with actuality. It offers purely imaginary causes ("God" "soul," "ego," "spirit," "free will" -- "unfree will" for that matter), and purely imaginary effects ("sin," "salvation," "grace," "punishment," "forgiveness of sins").“
😫 I am perpetually sick of evangelical xtians whining about being silenced. And they complain while one of their own, SecDef Pete Hegseth, gives us an update (sermon) about a war I don't want MY taxes supporting. After a sermon about our great, decisive Prez 🤢, and over-the-top lethality and killing and giving no quarter, SecDef of the US finishes with "in Jesus' name Amen." 🤬🤬🤬🤬
JFC!! There is not one xtian in the nation who cares that my freedom of religion got violated by that statement. Only their rights are important. But it's OK because they violate me in Jesus' name! Once they turned Christ upside-down for their own purposes, they no longer needed to pretend that my life has purpose and meaning.
Well, OK, but couldn't they just stop whining at me 24/7?! 😖
Sadly, whining is what they do, particularly Donnie Dumb-Ass. You may recall that, some time ago, Bill Maher got it right when he referred to him as a WHINY LITTLE BITCH.
Let’s hope the appeal takes several more years to work through, by then our government will have gone through a huge overhaul and clarify the laws across the board to ensure these types of issues never happen again. This hope is what is getting me through our current fascist hellscape. Let’s look to the right people to build us back once we tear down the evil regime.
Forced? Really? They always had the option to render unto Caesar instead. And they got the added benefit of zero paperwork requirements.
It seems to me that the way to fix this is stop granting automatic 501c3 status to churches just because they are churches. If they want the Establishment Clause adjacent benefit of government subsidy through tax exemption, they need to follow ALL the rules for non-profits. If they want to use their pulpit outside of those rules, they need to pay the price of admission that John Q Public must pay.
The goddamm loudmouth, arrogant, self righteous, judgmental whinny jesusfuckers never shut the fuck up about them being silenced or persecuted. Yet, the same jesusfuckers would gladly stripped the Rights and Freedoms away from anyone; they (jesusfuckers) hate (which is everyone that isn’t like them in every way).
A little bit fuzzy this morning. Maybe the coffee will fix it.
With this entire article shows is that the modern churches about power and money, money and power, and power and money and money and power.
Who said, “my kingdom is not of this world.“? Who said, “you cannot serve both God and mammon.”? No one important to modern, politicize, culture war Christianity.
That someone also said “stop screwing the kids or it’s millstones for you.” And yet…and yet…
This ones a professor who has written two books…
ON CHRISTIAN MORALITY IN MARRIAGE AND BUSINESS.
Seriously. And even better? The victim was one of his own kids!!!!! Inc’est si bon! Christian Morality!!!!!
A former Cedarville University finance professor whose writings promote a Christian ethic of marriage and sexuality was arrested Tuesday on eight sex-related felony charges involving one or more of his children.
The indictment, filed March 27 in Ohio’s Greene County Common Pleas Court, charges John Kent Tarwater with two counts of rape, three counts of sexual battery and three counts of gross sexual imposition.
There are too many churches out there whose association with the traditional ideals of Jesus is tenuous at best and flat-out nonexistent at worst. They are far more about "an eye for an eye" than they are about "love your neighbor as yourself." Then, too, as was observed the other day, they can't give [love] what they don't have.
I really don't know what the derivation of the name is, but I can say that tar water sounds perfectly apt for this particular example of walking corruption
Jesus said to give to Caesar what is Caesar's. Why are you all spending so much money, time, and energy trying to avoid that command? Hmm? Maybe because you all love filthy lucre more?
They sure love to fight having to give to Caesar while at the same time fight for their turn at Caesar’s trough. Our society works best as Rock Soup, not when we selfishly take but never give (I’m thinking of the story about the greedy kid getting sour bread rather than the sweet rolls the other children got, I can’t remember the name of that story).
Conservative religious organizations spend a lot of time in court demanding they be considered for tax money offered to the public, for religious private or charter schools, or playground repairs, or improvements to the water utilities in another state (iykyk), or even contracts to perform public services while also refusing to follow the laws about who they provide services to or how (Ark Encounter, adoption agencies, school counselors, etc.). But the very thought of paying a penny into the tax pot apparently gives them hives. “Oh no! We can’t pay taxes, we do charity. (Terms and conditions apply and only after we provide our clergy with mansions, expensive cars, clothes, writing utensils, and private jets.)”
Also Jesus’ words about how no man can serve two masters. That they must hate one and love the other or be devoted to one and despise the other. No serving both God AND money.
I remember Trump's first term in office, when cabinet members and assistants and all manner of government officials were either leaving or being fired, left and right. It's slower this time around, but the pattern persists.
What else would one expect of a managerial nincompoop like Trump?
I wonder what she did wrong (from Trump's point of view). Seemed as if she was following his orders and kissing his ass to the detriment of her own future (i.e. loss of license, jail time, etc ). Did she release too many documents? Or, another thought, maybe she requested the move herself before she was forced to do something so illegal that even she couldn't stomach it. Nah, probably not.
Usually, it's getting yourself in the media more than he does.
Edit: Cush is a woman – he is only firing the incompetent women – despite the fact that there are plenty of incompetent men there such as Hegseth and Patel.I guess Bongini or whatever his name was fired himself.
What she did wrong: accepted impossible assignments (i.e. put his enemies in jail), then failed to achieve them. When you have a boss like Trump, part of your job is to convince the boss that it's *his* idea to make the good decisions you think he needs to make (like: don't prosecute this guy for free speech). She didn't or couldn't do that. So she was too much lackey to be successful, while simultaneously too unsuccessful to be a good lackey.
Typically, in Washington, people this high up go to a conservative think tank like Heritage or Cato until the next GOP administration comes back in, then they shift back to government. But I'm not sure she showed enough 'handle it' ability that any future president or agency would want her back.
OT: I'm getting lazy. I looked out my window and couldn't quite tell if it was raining or not. All I had to do was stand up and see if drops were hitting the pavement. Instead, I clicked on the weather radar. Lazy.
Well yes, that's often how it goes. You have to have an unfair or unconstitutional law applied to you before you can sue to say it's unfair. Thus the notion of "standing." No harm, generally no standing.
While there are exceptions (10 C posters in classrooms cough cough), those generally require some harm where "you can't unring the bell", i.e. where a future remedy can't really fix the harm done. But here, we're talking about money. That's easily reversible; if the IRS taxed you and a judge rules they shouldn't have, you just get your money back (with court costs possibly being covered too) and you're in the same basic position you started from.
I actually don't see the point in preachers endorsing politicians. Most congregants are already of the same mind, so chances are telling them to vote for a certain candidate is useless because they were already going to vote for the candidate anyway. There's more of a chance of turning people off to a certain candidate, especially people who may be questioning their church membership already.
Churches don't like the Johnson amendment because preachers don't like having less control over their congregation. It has nothing to do with religious persecution.
Anyone who would take political advice from the clergy deserves every bad thing that happens to them as a result. The Christian right sees religion as the solution to all this country’s problems, without ever providing a single example to support their claims. The Bible-belt South has some of this country’s worst social metrics, but they dismiss things like that as the work-product of people who were not TRUE Christians. If Christianity is the solution, then why was the Civil Rights Act necessary?
Boarding in 10 minutes, I hope.
Even if churches were subject to taxes, it seems to me that most of them would owe little to no income tax. Deductible expenses would likely be close to revenue. Property taxes would be something else.
And the megachurches are likely a different story but, hey, they are rich and I’ve no problem taxing the rich.
How long to get through security?
Enjoy your demon tube.
EEEEWWWWWW! Demon tube! 👿👿👿 🤣🤣🤣
From the time we arrived at BWI to clearing security was 30 minutes — 10 of those were waiting until it was less than 4 hours before flight time so I could print the baggage tags at the Southwest kiosk. We signed up for TSA Pre-check a few weeks ago. Security took us less than 5 minutes.
Someone wisecracked that the longest line was for breakfast at the Silver Diner.
Safe journey!
Have a good flight and a very pleasant time.
Fair winds and calm seas.
Churches need to be held to the same standards as other non-profits.
Why do churches have a tax-exempt status to begin with? Doesn't Romans 13:6-7 tell believers to pay their taxes and why? I'd think they'd be the FIRST to pony up.
They have tax-exempt status because they are seen by the general public as a non-profit (I would like to see the balance sheets from the RCC and LDS) public good. The oldest Christian Fucking Privilege in the country.
I have said many times I really don't mind churches being tax-exempt, I just think they need to follow all the rules that other tax-exempt entities must, instead of being seen as non-profit charities by default.
If the preachers want to get involved in secular politics then they need to pay the price of admission . . . taxes.
No pay, no play.
"Why do churches have a tax-exempt status to begin with?"
Religious organisations in the UK are charities because "Advancement of religion" is counted as a charitable purpose. It is a thing that the National Secular Society has been trying to get abolished for a long time. I suspect that at least part of the reason it hasn't is that the "Church of England" is an established church with the King as the head of it.
I always enjoy a church that got started by a king who wanted a divorce.
Let me be clear: I am very glad that the Johnson Amendment is out there. Evangelical and other churches that wish to insist on breaching their tax-exempt status deserve to face consequences for their unconstitutional actions. The problem is that THERE HAVE BEEN NO CONSEQUENCES. I cannot remember a time in the past 20 years when I have heard that the Johnson Amendment was actually exercised against a church that blatantly endorsed a candidate for office.
The reason is simple: the IRS office in charge of dealing with the Johnson Amendment has not been properly funded in DECADES. If there is no action, it is because there is no money to support the necessary action. Further, it is a safe bet that there will be none forthcoming during the Trump administration, as they have wanted to eliminate the JA practically since Trump took office.
So yes, I'm glad that this attempt failed. I just wish something could be done to put some teeth into that amendment.
Corruption at it's finest: elected officials defunding the one part of the government that actually *makes* money enforcing the law, because their major campaign donors are the biggest crooks not obeying those laws. Yet another reason for campaign finance reform. But we'll have to wait for a different SCOTUS for that...Roberts says money IS speech, don'cha know.
I’m afraid the corrupt SCOTUS situation will last my lifetime and then some if we don’t make some radical changes fast. We can start by replacing every corporatist Democrat in congress with young(er) progressives.
As an “older millennial” I’ve never experienced anything close to a “healthy middle class” life that my parents talked about. Capitalism on steroids is literally hell on earth when you are working 80 hr work weeks for corrupt CEO’s for little pay. Using the bathroom is a crime because time is money at these jobs. I wish I were exaggerating. This is why Gen Z is so cynical and has decided just not to participate at all. The majority of congress is out of step with reality.
Religions have always been out of step with reality!🤨
“Under Christianity neither morality nor religion has any point of contact with actuality. It offers purely imaginary causes ("God" "soul," "ego," "spirit," "free will" -- "unfree will" for that matter), and purely imaginary effects ("sin," "salvation," "grace," "punishment," "forgiveness of sins").“
-Friedrich Nietzsche
https://youtu.be/TMHCw3RqulY
😂 exactly!
Agree, they detest the citizenry ⚠️ Mitch McConnell sat on Obama's nominee TWO YEARS 😑
WE need fighters in congress , not stock bro's.
Thanks🫡🍀🎶🪻🌱
😫 I am perpetually sick of evangelical xtians whining about being silenced. And they complain while one of their own, SecDef Pete Hegseth, gives us an update (sermon) about a war I don't want MY taxes supporting. After a sermon about our great, decisive Prez 🤢, and over-the-top lethality and killing and giving no quarter, SecDef of the US finishes with "in Jesus' name Amen." 🤬🤬🤬🤬
JFC!! There is not one xtian in the nation who cares that my freedom of religion got violated by that statement. Only their rights are important. But it's OK because they violate me in Jesus' name! Once they turned Christ upside-down for their own purposes, they no longer needed to pretend that my life has purpose and meaning.
Well, OK, but couldn't they just stop whining at me 24/7?! 😖
Sadly, whining is what they do, particularly Donnie Dumb-Ass. You may recall that, some time ago, Bill Maher got it right when he referred to him as a WHINY LITTLE BITCH.
Let’s hope the appeal takes several more years to work through, by then our government will have gone through a huge overhaul and clarify the laws across the board to ensure these types of issues never happen again. This hope is what is getting me through our current fascist hellscape. Let’s look to the right people to build us back once we tear down the evil regime.
I wish I shared your optimism.
Perhaps it’s more desperation than optimism.
Pay taxes if you want to participate in the political process, otherwise fuck right off.
R'amen.
The simplest answer is usually the correct one.
𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑡 𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑢𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑐ℎ𝑢𝑟𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑠 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 501(𝑐)(3) 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑒 “𝑎𝑢𝑡𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑠𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑑” 𝑏𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡.
Forced? Really? They always had the option to render unto Caesar instead. And they got the added benefit of zero paperwork requirements.
It seems to me that the way to fix this is stop granting automatic 501c3 status to churches just because they are churches. If they want the Establishment Clause adjacent benefit of government subsidy through tax exemption, they need to follow ALL the rules for non-profits. If they want to use their pulpit outside of those rules, they need to pay the price of admission that John Q Public must pay.
Silenced? Xtians?
*giggle**snort**GUFFAW!*
https://i1.wp.com/leftycartoons.visionmule.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2018/08/silenced.png
Ahhhh, an oldie but a goodie. That guy is pretty mouthy for someone who has been "silenced!" 🤣
That’s what earbuds and headphones are for.
See, that's funny cuz it's true. :D
The goddamm loudmouth, arrogant, self righteous, judgmental whinny jesusfuckers never shut the fuck up about them being silenced or persecuted. Yet, the same jesusfuckers would gladly stripped the Rights and Freedoms away from anyone; they (jesusfuckers) hate (which is everyone that isn’t like them in every way).
In an ideal world I agree with you. It would be a start at least.
A little bit fuzzy this morning. Maybe the coffee will fix it.
With this entire article shows is that the modern churches about power and money, money and power, and power and money and money and power.
Who said, “my kingdom is not of this world.“? Who said, “you cannot serve both God and mammon.”? No one important to modern, politicize, culture war Christianity.
That someone also said “stop screwing the kids or it’s millstones for you.” And yet…and yet…
This ones a professor who has written two books…
ON CHRISTIAN MORALITY IN MARRIAGE AND BUSINESS.
Seriously. And even better? The victim was one of his own kids!!!!! Inc’est si bon! Christian Morality!!!!!
A former Cedarville University finance professor whose writings promote a Christian ethic of marriage and sexuality was arrested Tuesday on eight sex-related felony charges involving one or more of his children.
The indictment, filed March 27 in Ohio’s Greene County Common Pleas Court, charges John Kent Tarwater with two counts of rape, three counts of sexual battery and three counts of gross sexual imposition.
There are too many churches out there whose association with the traditional ideals of Jesus is tenuous at best and flat-out nonexistent at worst. They are far more about "an eye for an eye" than they are about "love your neighbor as yourself." Then, too, as was observed the other day, they can't give [love] what they don't have.
Scary business.
Whenever churches start talking about love, I usually want to check my wallet to make sure it hasn’t been molested.
Depends on love of WHAT, exactly, and in what context.
I really don't know what the derivation of the name is, but I can say that tar water sounds perfectly apt for this particular example of walking corruption
Jesus said to give to Caesar what is Caesar's. Why are you all spending so much money, time, and energy trying to avoid that command? Hmm? Maybe because you all love filthy lucre more?
They sure love to fight having to give to Caesar while at the same time fight for their turn at Caesar’s trough. Our society works best as Rock Soup, not when we selfishly take but never give (I’m thinking of the story about the greedy kid getting sour bread rather than the sweet rolls the other children got, I can’t remember the name of that story).
Conservative religious organizations spend a lot of time in court demanding they be considered for tax money offered to the public, for religious private or charter schools, or playground repairs, or improvements to the water utilities in another state (iykyk), or even contracts to perform public services while also refusing to follow the laws about who they provide services to or how (Ark Encounter, adoption agencies, school counselors, etc.). But the very thought of paying a penny into the tax pot apparently gives them hives. “Oh no! We can’t pay taxes, we do charity. (Terms and conditions apply and only after we provide our clergy with mansions, expensive cars, clothes, writing utensils, and private jets.)”
Oops, ranting. My point’s been made.
I like your rants. They seem to push child labor & shoot down universal daycare.Education starts with the Bible & ends at the bible📓🧮🖍
Also Jesus’ words about how no man can serve two masters. That they must hate one and love the other or be devoted to one and despise the other. No serving both God AND money.
But, over and over again they try to pull it off with the usual bad consequences.
They don't mind giving to Caesar. They just want to make sure they rules are rigged so that Caesar's cut of their grift is zero.
It is said Catholic churches don't audit thier properties , in other words they have NO idea what they own🙈🙉🙊🧮🖍
GOOD!
Tax the damn churches, I say.
OT:
I think Hermant posted this on FA social media but can’t remember for sure.
https://www.hopiumchronicles.com/p/things-are-bad-for-trump-and-the
OT:
Pammy Jo go bye-bye:
https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/02/politics/pam-bondi-role-trump
Now who's going to hide the Trump-Epstein Files now?
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/dcc979de2450f8d7a6adb2f417a01eafbfb287cc6b8de04122636c71534cd516.png
Her replacement will likely be worse.
A plumber with a double first name name? Jim Bob Duggar?
At least more efficient. Might even win a case or two.
Todd Blanche, I think.
I read Trump was considering Lee Zeldin who’s fucking up the EPA
"On an interim basis." Question becomes: just how long is that "interim?"
Until Trump fires the loser.
I remember Trump's first term in office, when cabinet members and assistants and all manner of government officials were either leaving or being fired, left and right. It's slower this time around, but the pattern persists.
What else would one expect of a managerial nincompoop like Trump?
Wanna bet that Kash "Crazy Eyes" Patel, an incompetent buffoon who's a laughingstock, will be finding himself on the chopping block soon?
Oh, they'll find SOMEONE to shuck and jive their way around the Epstein files ... until THEY get fired, too. 😝
Perhaps they'll reunite Dumb Blondi with Kristi Gnome in the Shield of America gulag.
Apparently she's going to the "private-sector". Which these days usually means wingnut welfare for Republicans doesn't it?
It’s not like she’ll be able to find a job with a law firm with her past. Pretty much every one of his lawyers are now forcefully retired.
Maybe she and Rudy can open up an office.
They can join the firm of Dewey, Cheatum, and Howe.
Dumb and Dumber, Idiots at Law.
She needs to be disbarred. Then she needs to be in arrested, tried and, if convicted, imprisoned.
I wonder what she did wrong (from Trump's point of view). Seemed as if she was following his orders and kissing his ass to the detriment of her own future (i.e. loss of license, jail time, etc ). Did she release too many documents? Or, another thought, maybe she requested the move herself before she was forced to do something so illegal that even she couldn't stomach it. Nah, probably not.
Not corrupt enough.
Usually, it's getting yourself in the media more than he does.
Edit: Cush is a woman – he is only firing the incompetent women – despite the fact that there are plenty of incompetent men there such as Hegseth and Patel.I guess Bongini or whatever his name was fired himself.
What she did wrong: accepted impossible assignments (i.e. put his enemies in jail), then failed to achieve them. When you have a boss like Trump, part of your job is to convince the boss that it's *his* idea to make the good decisions you think he needs to make (like: don't prosecute this guy for free speech). She didn't or couldn't do that. So she was too much lackey to be successful, while simultaneously too unsuccessful to be a good lackey.
Typically, in Washington, people this high up go to a conservative think tank like Heritage or Cato until the next GOP administration comes back in, then they shift back to government. But I'm not sure she showed enough 'handle it' ability that any future president or agency would want her back.
Agree- her incompetence was on full display.Also many of "presidential" requests were bat sh*t crazy😜🤭🤪🪬🔮
It's mind blowing that this administration is still in "fire them, insufficiently loyal" mode, given the absolute cranks they have now.
OT: I'm getting lazy. I looked out my window and couldn't quite tell if it was raining or not. All I had to do was stand up and see if drops were hitting the pavement. Instead, I clicked on the weather radar. Lazy.
Considering the joint pain caused by menopause and arthritis that standing up would cause me nowadays, I don’t blame you for being lazy.
Just because my knees pop every time I stand up doesn't mean I shouldn't. 🦵🏼
Saw article AARP about vagus nerve, helps arthritis and inflammation.
𝑀𝑖𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑒𝑙 𝐹𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑠, 𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑠𝑒𝑙 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑁𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑅𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝐵𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑑𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠, 𝑠𝑎𝑖𝑑...𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑗𝑢𝑑𝑔𝑒’𝑠 𝑟𝑢𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑟𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑓𝑓𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑣𝑖𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑤 𝑡𝑜 𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑑.
Well yes, that's often how it goes. You have to have an unfair or unconstitutional law applied to you before you can sue to say it's unfair. Thus the notion of "standing." No harm, generally no standing.
While there are exceptions (10 C posters in classrooms cough cough), those generally require some harm where "you can't unring the bell", i.e. where a future remedy can't really fix the harm done. But here, we're talking about money. That's easily reversible; if the IRS taxed you and a judge rules they shouldn't have, you just get your money back (with court costs possibly being covered too) and you're in the same basic position you started from.
And where, exactly is the harm? That they are not exempted from the rules everyone else has to follow? The persecution complex runs deep.
The harm would be the government taxing them when it shouldn't. But the judge is absolutely right - UNTIL that actually happens, they have no case.
It's the equivalent of "I'm suing because that policeman was carrying a gun. He could've shot me, you know!"
I actually don't see the point in preachers endorsing politicians. Most congregants are already of the same mind, so chances are telling them to vote for a certain candidate is useless because they were already going to vote for the candidate anyway. There's more of a chance of turning people off to a certain candidate, especially people who may be questioning their church membership already.
Churches don't like the Johnson amendment because preachers don't like having less control over their congregation. It has nothing to do with religious persecution.