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| | Washington County Democrats support investigation
Friday, Jul 23, 2004 By Doug Thompson Arkansas News Bureau FAYETTEVILLE - The Washington County Democratic Committee issued a statement Thursday requesting the complaint against Ronnie Floyd, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Springdale, be "investigated thoroughly." The party "looks forward to the day when all citizens may vote their conscience without their political beliefs being dictated to them by politically involved religious leaders, regardless of denomination," the statement said. The party's statement comes two days after the Washington-based Americans United for Separation of Church and State filed a complaint with the Internal Revenue Service against the pastor's July 4 sermon, saying it endorsed the re-election of President Bush and therefore violated the conditions of the church's tax-exempt status. The Washington County Democratic Party statement said: "American democracy is rooted in the principle of the separation of church and state. The Washington County Democratic Party remains committed to maintaining this value and belief if only in our small corner of the state." Later, the statement said: "We feel that the possibility of any infraction of this basic tenet of democracy should be investigated thoroughly and dealt with appropriately." Associate Pastor Alan Damron of First Baptist replied in a prepared statement Thursday: "Contrary to the statement by the Washington County Democratic Party, 'separation of church and state' is not in the United States Constitution. Our Constitution guarantees the right for all to speak on political, social, moral, and biblical issues. The Constitution includes pastors and churches. There have been American religious leaders past and present who did not and have not withheld their opinions about social issues or moral issues and/or politicians who supported or opposed various American rights. If the pastors or churches are not protected by the First Amendment, then neither are professors, or non-profit, tax-exempt educational institutions. The July 4th sermon of Pastor Ronnie Floyd exemplifies the best of our American tradition of freedom and democracy. The message did not violate any IRS provision by any stretch of the imagination, and is most assuredly protected by the First Amendment, that protects us all, even those who may disagree with us." Matt Mendenhall, chairman of the Washington County Republican Party, said: "You can watch TV on any given night and see Bill Clinton, Al Gore or John Kerry introduced from the pulpit. This is nothing new. Democrats have been expert at that for years." "I have a high regard for the concept of a separation of church and state, but I also have a high regard for the concept of freedom of speech," Mendenhall said. Copies of an e-mail dated Wednesday and addressed from Floyd to church members said, in part: "Nothing was violated. We simply informed our people of the views of both presidential candidates, encouraging you to register to vote, become informed, and when you vote, vote God - His Word and His values." "The first amendment of our nation's constitution is at risk if Mr. (Barry) Lynn (director of Americans United) and his group are allowed to quiet the pulpits of our land, as well as anyone else," Floyd's message said. "If we lose our right to speak the truth by speaking God's Word, then everyone will lose their right for freedom of speech as well." Organizations granted tax-free status under federal law may not participate at all in campaign activity for or against political candidates, according to published IRS guidelines for such organizations. The IRS assigns any complaint regarding tax questions to a field examiner, said regional spokesman David Stell of Oklahoma City. There is no deadline or timetable for investigation of such claims, he said. |
