Mike Huckabee is NOT a stupid man:  he knows history, politics, the Bible, his own faith, and people.  So this is NOT the result of a lack of understanding, but rather, evidence that his worldview is badly warped, that his lust for power (for himself and other politicians) is great, and that he believes that OTHER people are more stupid than he is.  Like too many politicians, too many preachers, too many celebrities, he is unwilling to speak the truth, knowing that people have itching ears.

Theft by government – War on religion

Huckabee: Time For Churches To Give Up Tax-Exempt Status, Embrace Freedom
(Personal Liberty Digest) On Monday, former Arkansas Governor and Presidential aspirant Mike Huckabee brought a huge white elephant to the Southern Baptist Convention. When he got up to address the pastors who’d converged on Houston for the annual event, he forced everyone’s attention on it.

First, here we see a big difference between a conservative and a libertarian,  and between a scumbag “successful” politician and someone who truly believes in freedom.  Instead of wanting to make all of us equally free (from taxes, specifically), he wants us all to be equally under government control – and CALLS it “freedom.”  Thus my reference to 1984 in the title of this commentary.

It may be just fine for SOME Southern Baptists, who don’t really believe in the tenets of their faith, or in the Bible, to supposedly “have freedom” by accepting slavery to the state.  It isn’t fine for those who believe in and practice the “Faith once and for all delivered to the saints” – or anyone who believes in liberty, given by God to man.  It isn’t even fine for those who believe in that dead letter, the US Constitution.

Taxation is theft, and also slavery. It sometimes must be endured, or paid, because of the need to survive, priorities, and circumstances.  But it is not right, and to give up something so important as this is obscene on its face.

Taxation – or ANY regulation of religious institutions by the state (at any level) is unconstitutional and immoral.  It is a direct violation of Jesus’ command to “give unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, and unto God what is God’s.”  And His warning “A man cannot serve two masters.”  There is no freedom in paying taxes, not for a church, not for a school, not for a charity, nor indeed for an individual – unless you count the negative “freedom” of avoiding persecution and jail and abuse and slavery.

What would any church or religious organization GAIN by paying taxes – regardless of what kind?  Freedom from oppressive laws (even if we call them “regulations”) that steal money constantly and INDIRECTLY from these entities?  Hardly: the 1st Amendment protection of freedom of religion is already a dead letter, and serves only to justify a “separation of church and state” that is a pretext and framework for the war on religion and on practicing believers of virtually all faiths, but especially christianity.  (Indeed, the only religions seemingly exempt from this war are Islam, humanism and its associated evolution, and perhaps some pagan religions that make good news copy.)  By paying taxes, not using what belongs to Caesar but what was given to God, the churches actually help FUND this war against them.

Mr. Huckabee apparently wants us to believe that things like the Johnson Amendment (LBJ’s creation that threatens tax exempt status for religious organizations that speak out in political campaigns and elections) are the result of tax-exempt status, and not a half-century-plus attack on the free exercise of religion.  Instead of fighting to overturn that evil concept, he wants to render it null and void by voluntarily doing what it demands be done to those brave enough to STILL speak the truth and condemn those in office (or wannabe officials) who do wrong.  Perhaps he hopes to capture the mad-atheist vote?

Voluntarily submitting to taxation will open the can of worms in many, many ways:  the church’s books and every use of their property and improvements will be looked at under a microscope so that the tax-gatherers can ensure that every mil is accounted for, and every penny is squeezed from the faithful.  Where ever and whenever possible, the land and buildings and other property will be counted and appraised and registered and stolen.  Money to preach the Word or help the afflicted will instead be wasted by politicians, bureaucrats, and the parasites on the body politic that they encourage and enable.

Time for Arkansas Southern Baptists to find someone else: someone who believes in the Bible and christian liberty and standing up for the truth, not caving into the state.  And time for ALL Americans to be freed from the slavery of taxation – from legalized theft.

Until those who claim to be followers of Christ Jesus learn what He taught and follow those teachings, not just personally but as members of churches and communities, they are going to continue to condemn themselves, and the world, to slavery.