By Daniel Burke, CNN Belief Blog Editor
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(CNN) - Franklin Graham, one of the country's most prominent evangelicals, says the targeting of conservative groups by the Internal Revenue Service included two of his ministries.
"I am bringing this to your attention because I believe that someone in the administration was targeting and attempting to intimidate us," Graham wrote in a letter Tuesday to President Barack Obama. The evangelical leader is the son of famed evangelist Billy Graham.
Graham said the IRS contacted the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, a North Carolina-based ministry, after it ran newspaper ads in that state in April encouraging support for an amendment against same-sex marriage. The group also bought newspaper ads in November encouraging Christians to vote for candidates who oppose same-sex marriage, support Israel and "base their decisions on biblical principles."
Graham said the ads were purchased by funds donated by "friends of our ministry."
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In September, the IRS informed the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan's Purse, an international aid group, that it would review the groups' records for the tax year ending in 2010, according to Graham. IRS agents conducted the review in October, Graham said.
The organizations, both of which are run by Graham, later received notice that they remain eligible for federal tax exemptions, he said.
"I do not believe the IRS audits of our two organizations last year is a coincidence - or justifiable," Graham said in the letter to Obama.
The IRS did not immediately respond to CNN's request for comment. The agency has acknowledged that it gave extra scrutiny to tea party groups applying for federal tax exemptions. The Treasury Department's inspector general said in a report that the IRS' use of "inappropriate criteria" ended in May 2012.
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Obama said Tuesday that he has directed Treasury Secretary Jack Lew to hold IRS employees accountable for "these failures."
"But regardless of how this conduct was allowed to take place, the bottom line is, it was wrong," Obama said.
To franklin Graham all I can Say is you choose a cult member, an organization that proudly admits its a mormman group over a fellow Christian, let me just say a lot of my black Christian friends thinks that one decision divided our races more then anything in the past thirty years but we still consider those that feel that way family members although you may not. I will never understand how people put anything before their faith Jesus. Ploitices race before brothers and sisters in Christ ( help me understand)
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CNN logo CNN 3 weeks ago
When Christians become a 'hated minority.............
When Christians become a 'hated minority'
The point where religious speech becomes hate speech is difficult to define, though, scholars and activists say. The Southern Poverty Law Center in Alabama is a nonprofit civil rights group that combats and monitors hate groups. Three years ago, it... Full Article at CNN
http://legalnews.findlaw.com/article/0bj7cdy2zIcqA?q=law+OR+lawsuit+OR+legal+OR+%28court+AND+law%29
Faith-Healing Churches Linked to 2 Dozen Child Deaths
by Vince Lattanzio posted on May 25, 2013 02:45PM GMT
http://www.richarddawkins.net/news_articles/2013/5/25/faith-healing-churches-linked-to-2-dozen-child-deaths#
Have a great life.
Peace
May 26, 2013 at 3:10 pm | Report abuse | Reply
Hey faith .....use link below........enter email share story
CNN logo CNN 3 weeks ago
When Christians become a 'hated minority'
https://give.liveunited.org/page/share/StoryThanks?blue_daisychain_id=7e4095e4-c644-11e2-a474-000000000000&action_code=FgxRWxYUOVIKQV0YAlweUQ&td=VVHLbtswEPwVQqcUiBRS1iO2L70URQ9pgSpAUDQBQZEre1GKFEgqhlP037uy3brliTu7nJkd_sxgVGizTXbYA9heheAPw2ytH-KkNASvf7y3-AqF9mN2mw0YYnJqBHrRaQSngVCr_oIfwVu_OxL4hhPVdV1VFVU9xJRr75LSKU94miU4gMEAOsk52DMidzOay1X2ipykS-WnJF-XniN_t1n0cyD1P9Xc_w9Me–u3eRJSQ5oIWab7y-E4M7Nkxx8GOVJb7UmDR1AJZBmkSy5WOW8zsuGlXxT8U1ZXydwksqYQGNtUwixKsS6LcR9e52YIwSpduAWrgf_htaq57u64OyGopxUwt7Clj10nz4wwQu-ZU_ojD9E9vmRESfVX56aasseAxpieb5rCv5u4d-rKRH3ybVYorUzWVYYj9RCd260IAaoSp7rpqpyIaDM16Zscv7PWf6T9r_8HO3LGW9pWfYVDCwBgWEdJmDdXgVgR8qXdZTkkd1EesNUZN8IO0GLs9Gb2cKF7hxw9us3
May 26, 2013 at 4:58 pm | Report abuse |
the IRS SHOULD target ministries! they've been tax-exempt for too long!
Why do bank robbers go to banks?
Why do police target minorities?
Why does the IRS target right wing nut jobs?
Best return for your efforts!
The answer is to remove tax exempt status and federal funding for all these groups regardless of what they are for. It is not the governments job to give donations to charitable organizations. The country is in deep debt.
All elections should have limits on how much money can be spent. How many thousands of families could be fed for a year with the money spent on political campaigns.
The question I have is just what terms or definitions does one use to gain "tax exempt" status? What happened to "separation between church & state"? What the IRS did wrong was to attach certain words, stupid, to audit tax exempt orgainizations! WHO is going to investigate, determine, eligibily, for tax exempt status? I would bet that WE would be shocked to find out just how many have tax exemption? MAYBE, if anything, ALL with a tax exemption should be looked at and the definitions redone to insure that everything is on the up & up!
If you think Emily`s story is unimaginable,, 2 weeks ago my girlfriends brother basically brought home $5339 workin a twenty hour week from home and there classmate's step-sister`s neighbour done this for 6 months and brought home over $5339 in their spare time on-line. applie the tips from this website............ Fℴx85. ℂℴm
If you have nothing to hide.....what is the problem ?
So why was there NO FUNDING for safe room????
I really do not care if
they are white, black or pink! They are there to represent us! Most are
following their own agenda.
We pay them from this
money through taxes!
I am feed up with both "parties"
taking all for themselves while we ALL tighten our belts to GIVE THEM more!
"The fact is the deficit is still too high,
and we're still investing too little in the things that we need for the economy
to grow as fast as it should...."
Cut (GOP, Pres all the way down!) their wages to
lower tax Burden! Cut Life pay as well they should have saved their own money
already.
If their Wages were cut
they could feel what a majority of us feel NOW. We are paying their wages from
our income!
I want to form my own cult... can anyone tell me where I can get Cult Leadership Certification. I want to be the next "America's Preacher". I need an angle though... the anti-gay, anti-mixed-marriage, anti-middle-eastern-anything, anti-science stances are already taken. I'm looking for fresh ideas, folks... just make it something that appeals to hate, ignorance or desperation. Thanks and gawwwwwwwwwwwwd bless.
Witch-hunting... I hear it's coming back