Tuesday, June 24, 2014

First they came for Bob Jones U

The anchoress has this snippet about Bob Jones losing their tax exempt status because they weren't PC.


3) Over at Instapundit, Glenn Reynolds excerpts an important part of Jonathan Turley’s thoughtful look at government agencies stretching their boundaries. Here’s what struck me:
Historically, the IRS adopted a neutral rule that avoided not-for-profit determinations based on the content of organizations’ beliefs and practices. Then, in 1970, came the Bob Jones University case. The IRS withdrew the tax-exempt status from the religious institution because of its rule against interracial dating on campus. The Supreme Court affirmed in 1983 that the IRS could yank tax exemption whenever it decided that an organization is behaving “contrary to established public policy” — whatever that public policy may be. Bob Jones had to choose between financial ruin and conforming its religious practices. It did the latter. . . .
Yeah, yeah, we all hate Bob Jones University because they’re a bunch of bigots so they got what they deserved and made their decision accordingly, right?
Well, late last week the Presbyterian Church (USA) voted to redefine marriage as involving “two persons”. With this vote they join six other churches or religious movements willing to perform same-sex marriages. The Episcopals will not be very far behind, I don’t think.
Since the IRS can determine tax-exemptions based on whether organizations are “contrary to established public policy”, I suspect it will not be long before those churches determined to heed Jesus’ words over the times and trends will find their obstinate traditions deemed so contrary and will start paying through the nose for the privilege of exercising their first amendment right to be themselves.
“Be yourself” is still a thing, right?

more here from Father L, who notes that this type of thinking bodes ill for any church related institution.

and now the AMA says you don't have to have a sex change operation to change your sex. (I suspect it was a "focus group" at that institution, not those who represent doctors, which is why they are losing members...They do this all the time, and their website is constantly sending me emails about the wonderfulness of OBama care, while sending me other emails on how I can try to figure out how to change my practice and billing to get paid. Every hour spent learning billing is one hour less seeing patients and doing CME, but never mind).

and no links, but someone at the NYTimes had an editorial saying that marriage was the cause of most domestic violence, and another article somewhere lauded the fact that the "milleneals" didn't think that gender differences mattered any more.

The problem with all of this is that reality tends to bite back.
Gender differences are biological, and the trend of the elites to destroy any social institution that is based on this fact bodes ill for the future, because a society that insists on ignoring reality won't survive.

or as Kipling wrote:AS I PASS through my incarnations in every age and race,
I make my proper prostrations to the Gods of the Market Place.
Peering through reverent fingers I watch them flourish and fall,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings, I notice, outlast them all...


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