House members hotly debated a bill Tuesday that would allow religious groups to become more politically active without putting their tax-exempt status in jeopardy.
A vote was not expected until Wednesday after lawmakers debated the issue late into the night.
The bill would lift the Internal Revenue Service's effective ban on political activity at churches, synagogues and mosques. It would essentially give religious leaders the right to free political speech, allowing them to endorse candidates who agree with their moral teachings.
``Our nation's pastors, priests, rabbis and clerics should be free to express their political opinions just as any other American,'' said Rep. Wally Herger, R-Calif. ``We should be doing everything we can to promote freedom of speech.''
Republicans were divided over the issue.
Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., said the bill would ``erode the separation of church and state, a bedrock value of our nation.''
Shays cautioned lawmakers that the bill would be reverse campaign finance laws and probably enable big-money donors to funnel money through churches.
Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., said ``if this legislation is allowed to pass or stand, you could have a minister coming into a pulpit and saying vote for so and so because God told me.''
``This legislation has one purpose, to allow our houses of worship to become vehicles for partisan activity,'' Lewis said.
The prohibition on political activity was imposed in 1954 by Congress on all 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations under an amendment offered by then-Sen. Lyndon Johnson. Before that, religious leaders were freely involved in political debate.
Religious groups and the government have locked horns frequently over the years when it comes to politics and the Constitution's guarantees of both free speech and freedom of religion. After a decade-long battle, for example, the IRS concluded in 1999 that the Christian Coalition should not be tax-exempt because of its distribution of voter guides in churches.
The bill number is H.R. 2357.