liberty university should be closed for being a sham

This is bullshit. Look I dispise the new breed of Conservative. But I don't see what is wrong with a Private University banning whoever they want. Providing they do not accept Tax payer dollars. Do You know if this is so Taxman?? Just curious.

Larry

Our Catholic School only accepts Catholics.

Larry,

The question isn't whether they accept federal funds, the question is should the school maintain its tax exempt status if it is engaging in political activity. The Internal Revenue Code disallows tax exempt status to otherwise exempt organizations if they engage in political activity. This seems like engaging in political activity, unless they ban college Republicans as well, and the school seems to be opening itself up to review by the IRS.

Our Catholic School only accepts Catholics.

That has nothing to do with engaging in political activity.

fair enough

The question isn't whether they accept federal funds, the question is should the school maintain its tax exempt status if it is engaging in political activity. The Internal Revenue Code disallows tax exempt status to otherwise exempt organizations if they engage in political activity. This seems like engaging in political activity, unless they ban college Republicans as well, and the school seems to be opening itself up to review by the IRS.

Posted by taxman at 2009-05-26 11:55 AM | Reply

I would argue that as long as they are not advocating for a particular candidate then the IRS doesn't have a leg to stand upon on this. Seems to me they are banning a club is all. It just so happens to be a Political Oriented Club. Just My lay opinion on it.

Larry

Larry, the Internal Revenue Code doesn't say anything about advocating any candidate, it specifically prohibits engaging in any political activity. The question is whether banning one political group while allowing a political group with opposing views to continue is engaging in political activity - i.e., is silencing one political group in favor of another considered political activity which warrants revocation of an entities exempt status.

My belief is that Liberty wants this fight and wants to take it to the Supreme Court to argue that the the IRS construction of 170 and 501(c)(3) violates their free exercise rights under the Religion Clauses of the First Amendment.

"This seems like engaging in political activity,"

The article says it is based on their support of abortion and gay agenda's, it is more of an ideological problem then political. The politics come in now.

They still banned one political group while allowing the others to continue. Silencing one political group in favor of others could easily be construed as political activity. Calling it an "idealogical problem" is an attempt to mask the actions as non-policital when in reality these issues are political.

"Silencing one political group in favor of others could easily be construed as political activity. Calling it an "idealogical problem" is an attempt to mask the actions as non-policital when in reality these issues are political."

You are dealing with issues that are not only political. Instead they are against the Cristian principals of the school. There would be no problem if a club was banned for advocating rape but in the eyes of many hard line Cristian the club was advocating sins equal to rape. This is not to say i agree with dumping the club just that i do in fact see the reasoning behind the actions and it makes sense if you subscribe to that ideology. The school has every right to mandate morality on their campus, with the reasons given i believe that that is the reason not just because they called themselves democrats.

The school has every right to mandate morality on their campus

That isn't the issue, of course they have the right. The issue is whether they crossed the line when it comes to IRS rules regarding political activity and tax exempt status. The school has to make a choice, tax exempt status which means they can't ban political groups, or start paying taxes.

There would be no problem if a club was banned for advocating rape but in the eyes of many hard line Cristian the club was advocating sins equal to rape.

Rape, as hard is it may be to believe, is not a political activity.

Aren't Political Beliefs really Idealogical in Nature??

"Rape, as hard is it may be to believe, is not a political activity."

Is it really that hard to grasp?
Rape =bad=sin
Abortion=bad=sin
homosexuality=bad=sin
That is what the were dissolved for not because they liked democrats over republicans.

Nowhere in there did i mention political parties. The group was advocating a morality that was not in accordance with the morality of the school. It is not political, that is just an excuse to whine about it. This is completely a NON-ISSUE, it has nothing to do with a tax exempt status, it had nothing to do with politics until the club made it so.

"Aren't Political Beliefs really Idealogical in Nature??"

No, haven't you noticed there is no longer a need to believe in them? Just read them off the pamphlet marked (d) or (R) and parrot accordingly.

Nowhere in there did i mention political parties. The group was advocating a morality that was not in accordance with the morality of the school. It is not political, that is just an excuse to whine about it. This is completely a NON-ISSUE, it has nothing to do with a tax exempt status, it had nothing to do with politics until the club made it so.

#15 | Posted by salamandagator

You can be a Democrat and not be Pro-Choice or Pro-Homosexuality. They may just believe in other policy aspects of the Democratic party. Unless this kids were using this group to specifically fight for homosexuality and abortion then they Liberty has no grounds to remove it. The school has a right to police the moral behavior of the students, but no right to interfere with their political activity.

it had nothing to do with politics

It's a political group that was banned - "College Democrats" while "College Republicans" are allowed to remain on campus. It is an issue of how the Internal Revenue Code interprets political activity, not whether or not a group advocates a sin.

it had nothing to do with politics until the club made it so.

Really?

Liberty University will no longer recognize its campus Democratic club because, officials say, the national party's platform goes against the conservative Christian school's moral principles.

First paragraph. Who would have thought to look in the article.

Larry, the Internal Revenue Code doesn't say anything about advocating any candidate, it specifically prohibits engaging in any political activity.
#8 | Posted by taxman

Just a minor correction - the IRS specifically prohibits religiously exempt organizations from participating in SIGNIFICANT political activity. The only absolute ban is on supporting specific candidates.

You can be a Democrat and not be Pro-Choice or Pro-Homosexuality.

Not according to Liberty.

Of course, given that ALL Republicans are Anti-Choice and Anti Homosexuality, it is quite clear where Librty would get that idea.

On May 15, a campuswide review began. The recognition of only the Democratic club has been revoked. Staver said the students can continue to meet in certain locations on campus, and school officials have encouraged them to find a parent organization that supports a "pro-life, pro-family" platform.

Uh, that should be in quotes. It is from the article.

"Liberty University will no longer recognize its campus Democratic club because, officials say, the national party's platform goes against the conservative Christian school's moral principles.

First paragraph. Who would have thought to look in the article."

Notice the part where it says it goes against the morals of the school? Not politics but morality.
Care to try again?

"It's a political group that was banned - "College Democrats" while "College Republicans" are allowed to remain on campus."

Lets just read this together shall we?

"Diaz was informed in a May 15 e-mail from Student Affairs Vice President Mark Hine that the club, which has about 30 members, will no longer be able to use Liberty's name or be eligible for funding because of the party's stand on abortion rights and gay rights issues.
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Mathew D. Staver, dean of the university's school of law, said Liberty recently came up with new guidelines for all student groups. On May 15, a campuswide review began. The recognition of only the Democratic club has been revoked. Staver said the students can continue to meet in certain locations on campus, and school officials have encouraged them to find a parent organization that supports a "pro-life, pro-family" platform. "

So they are kicked off campus
Instead they will not get money and cannot use the schools name.
The school does not want to promote a morality that they do not agree with and are suspending some of their resources so they are not supporting them.

Since taxpayers come in all shapes, sizes, denominations as well as social values, then any institution accepting taxpayers' money should be obliged to serve the diversity from which the funds originate. If not, make it a private school and refuse to give them public funding.

"Our Catholic School only accepts Catholics."

I went to a Catholic School that allowed non-Catholics to attend.

Catholics aren't evangelical Christians but on some level they understand that Christ didn't win over anyone by shunning him.......

I went to a Catholic School that allowed non-Catholics to attend.

Catholics aren't evangelical Christians but on some level they understand that Christ didn't win over anyone by shunning him.......

I know and I have no problem with it. I just tossed that to Taxman because of the issue of "banning". He hit it out of the park.

Just a minor correction

Oops, I meant to say that advocating a candidate is not the only type of political activity which can result in losing exempt status. I was specifically thinking of American Campaign Academy, in which the Tax Court stripped the exemption of a purportedly educational organization for acting in an excessively partisan manner. In that case, an academy was created to teach individuals the skills necessary to work in political campaigns. All of the graduates of the academy went on to work for Republican candidates, and the academy itself stemmed from a similar training program previously administered by the National Republican Congressional Committee.

It still remains to be seen if Liberty's actions fall into this realm of political activity.

"It's astonishing that in the 21st century an institution for higher education would demand a student group be thrown off campus for their political views."

higher education? I thought this was at one of those phoney Jesus schools.

higher education........my ass.

#29 | Posted by taxman

Exactly. If the organization primarily exists to further a political agenda (either overtly or covertly), it loses its tax exempt status. However, if it doesn't spend a "significant amount" of its time or money in the political arena, it's generally safe from losing said exemption. I'm not sure Liberty went "far enough" to lose its exemption.

"The school has every right to mandate morality on their campus"

are you fucking kidding me?

this is a matter of freedom of speech.
and people are supporting a clear act against our American Rights.

"The school has every right to mandate morality on their campus"

i didn't know liberty university was in Iran.

i didn't know liberty university was in Iran.

That seems to be where Falwell was trained. Though I've also heard that he hopped accross the border for "summer camp" in Afghanistan.

What a fucker... I'm glad he's dead. I had better go burn his body so he doesn't come back as a zombie. Just in case...

Zombie fundies, now that's something nobody wants to see...

higher education? I thought this was at one of those phoney Jesus schools.

Higher education, in Liberty's case, means you'd be better educated by getting high and watching the National Geographic channel.

this is a matter of freedom of speech.
and people are supporting a clear act against our American Rights.

#32 | Posted by klifferd

Just because the club no longer receives private funds does not limit their freedom of speech. They can still believe/say/assemble for whatever reason, even on the university's property; they just no longer can use the university's name (private property) or their cash (again, private property). No civil liberties are being violated.

"No civil liberties are being violated."

well then ... since they have aligned themselves with republicans as they are still funding that group.

they definately need their tax exempt status revoked at the least.

had a university like yale done the same the rtards would be out en masse crying fowl.

Why doesn't the school they just change their name to Republican Christian Fundamentalist University? At least then their name would be an accurate representation.

Zombie fundies, now that's something nobody wants to see...

FF!

yup Rtard Falwell is burning in his own private hell right now.... lets keep him there! As for his legacy...they belong to the Taliban more than to America. If they wanna align themselves with the dead-enders of the rethug party then let them...they should definitely lose their tax-exempt status as should any church who campaigns from the "pulpit".

Fundamentalist University, Carolina Kampus? herm

the national party's platform goes against the conservative Christian school's moral principles.

So does the government's stand on gays and Roe V Wade.

I'm assuming that the school's "moral principles" take a back seat to gummint money.

Typical hypocritical Christians.

A religious school makes a decision based on religion???? How unexpected!