Theos-Talk Archives (May 1996 Message tl00675)

On Sat, 11 May 1996, alexis dolgorukii wrote:

> At 01:46 AM 5/11/96 -0400, you wrote:
> >Doss,
> >That is all very true.  Of course, in the American Section we have such a
> >divergence of views that for the society to become actively involved in
> >politics would probably split it, but that doesn't preclude other things to
> >make the world a little better for us having been in it.
> >
> >Chuck
> >
>
> Chuck:
>
> Just a reminder from an old politician. For the T.S. to become involved
> would not only split it, it would destroy it financially. It costs a
> Non-Profit Corporation that status for it to become actively involved in
> politics in any way. There are some kinds of non-profits that do not
> preclude it, or groups like Green peace and the Sierra Club wouldn't exist,
> but I would assume that the T.S. is either chartered as a philosophical or
> Education non-profit (I doubt if it's chartered as a religion) and they can
> have their status taken away for engagement in any political activity at
> all. The Mainstream Churches currently involved in Anti-Abortion activity on
> a political front are only "getting away with it" because of their immense
> political clout and because the IRS has so far not dared or desired to
> challenge them. This would not be true of the T.S. But when viewed from the
> point of view of written law, the Roman Catholic church could and should
> lose it's tax-free status because of it's current political activities.
>
> alexis
>
>
Alexis: After the serious results that ensued by mixing politics
and"religion" during the French Revolution, from day one, TS has
scrupulously kept out of *all* political activities. That was a wise
policy, in hind sight.
...doss