“CHURCHES have a tremendous amount of power and a stupid amount of money,” complains David Silverman of American Atheists, a non-profit group. He thinks the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) should crack down harder on churches that meddle in politics. Under American law, churches that explicitly endorse or oppose a political candidate can lose their tax-exempt status, but Mr Silverman thinks the IRS is often too scared to go after them.Few Americans share his priorities. Almost three-quarters think the influence of religion on American life is waning, according to the Pew Research Centre, a think-tank (see chart). More than half of this group see this as a bad thing—including 30% of those who have no religious affiliation. A third of the unaffiliated still want politicians to have a strong faith. Knowing that they do is comforting in times of crisis, believes Michael Cromartie of the Ethics and Public Policy Centre, another think-tank.Overall 49% of Americans think churches should speak out about political matters; 48% disagree. That has changed markedly since 2010, when 52% wanted preachers to keep their noses out of politics and only 43% didn’t....
from The Economist: United States http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21627672-more-americans-want-their-churches-involved-politics-preach-me?fsrc=rss|ust
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