Religions with 501(c)3 status are not supposed to engage in politics in anyway. They can do certain activities but specifically must not endorse any particular candidate. They can voice being anti-abortion, but not attack a candidate supporting abortion.Religions are not required to apply for 501(c)3 status and can enjoy benefits over and beyond that of the registered 501(c)3s. This is where it gets slightly more complicated. Many churches and similar organisations recognise this and see the 501(c)3 as restrictive, with them not understanding why some religious organisations do apply.I think it is clear why many have different departments/sub sections with differing accounting statuses.In this video he speaks of religion being irrelevant to politics.This is just not the case as $390 000 000 is spent annually by the religious orgs and the benefit even if restrictive in being 501(c)3 would be contributions being tax deductible.It's going to take some digging to understand why some have part of their orgs 501(c)3 and offering their contributors tax deductible benefits and yet still having departments enjoying the tax exempt status by default and without restriction, but also without the benefit of tax deductible contributions.It will be a scam/or loophole where they receive with the left with all deductible benefits, yet ACT as exempt and free from restriction.___________________________________________________The long and the short of the difference is as the church sees it:***The First Amendment clearly places the church outside the jurisdiction of the civil government: Congress shall make NO LAW respecting an establishment of religion, nor prohibiting the free exercise thereof.’***___________________________________________________When a church accepts the 501c3 status, that church:· Waives its freedom of speech· Waives its freedom of religion· Waives its right to influence legislators and the legislation they craft.· Waives its constitutionally guaranteed rights.· Is no longer free to speak to the vital issues of the day.· It’s controlled with fear, if it doesn’t following IRS guidelines it will lose its tax-exempt status.· Becomes a State-Church.One need not look far to see that the church’s acceptance of the 501c3, and its significant restrictions, has had devastating consequences to not only the church, but to the entire nation._____________________________________________________If a religion does breach the rules of 501(c)3Denial does not infringe upon the free exercise of religion, as was highlighted in 1983 at the Supreme Court: Regan v. Taxation With Representation of Washington, “a legislature’s decision not to subsidize the exercise of a fundamental right does not infringe the right.”______________________________________________________After studying the Pew report I thought it would be easy to expose those religious organizations breaching their obligations under the rules of a 501(c)3I was surprised to learn, where I thought a breach may have occured, the religious organization had several subsections incorporated under the one umbrella. One section registered as 501(c)3 and free to accept donations and monies whilst all tax deductible benefits are enjoyed by those donating, yet still having a subsection not requiring the submitting of accounts as exempt automatically and also free from the restrictions the 501(c)3) places upon them. This is exploiting a loophole somewhere, and a loophole we need to get to the bottom of.________________________________________________________With the US religions, the loophole that needs exploring would seem to be where religious organizations and their supporters can donate and receive as a 501(c)3 and enjoy the tax deductible benefits.Yet still act and engage politically under a different department of the religion as tax exempt by default.It would seem through clever manipulation and accounting they are exploiting the best of both worlds and this would go a long way to explaining why church and state separation is/seems a one way street.