Letters to the Editor: July 25, 2024

Finding viable road to achieve ‘long-term harmony’ in Middle East Most people characterize the attack on Israeli civilians by Hamas on Oct. 7 as barbaric and savage. Others choose to condemn the unjust slaughter of an estimated 35,000 Palestinian civilians in Gaza in the aftermath of the Hamas attack. A recent New York Times article highlighted the work of the Nassars, a Christian Palestinian family that operates an olive farm, children’s camp, and other programs in the West Bank to promote understanding and nonviolence between Arabs and Jews even as this family nonviolently resists confiscation of their land by nearby Israeli settlers. One might criticize this family’s work as naive. For myself, I see this approach as the only viable road to achieving long-term harmony and tolerance between the two camps. Ellen Sward, Vancouver Religious leaders should stay out of politics, or give up tax status All citizens should be concerned about the growing trend of pastors giving explicit voting advice to their congregations. This practice undermines the separation of church and state and is in direct conflict with their tax-exempt status. The principle of separation of church and state is a cornerstone of our democracy, designed to ensure that religious institutions do not wield undue influence over political affairs. Pastors using their pulpits to recommend specific candidates or political parties are blurring the line between religious guidance and political campaigning. Religious organizations benefit from tax-exempt status under the condition that they refrain from participating in political campaigning. Under IRS guidelines, tax-exempt organizations cannot endorse or oppose political candidates. This misuse of their platform should lead to rejection of their tax-exempt status. Pastor’s Pick is a national organization driving this effort. Churches are distributing a list of recommended candidates to their congregations. If they want to do that, they should pay taxes like any other business. For both our religious institutions and our democratic process, it is imperative that the IRS enforce its guidelines and revoke the tax-exempt status of churches that engage in political campaigning. Religious leaders must choose: they can either maintain their tax-exempt status by focusing on spiritual matters, or they can forfeit this privilege if they wish to participate in political advocacy. Anne Haller, Washougal

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