It is pretty sad that the SG could not answer the question. My recollection is that Bob Jones did not lose its tax exempt status for its beliefs, but for making inter-racial dating grounds to deny admission. The IRS regs applied to schools, not to churches.
Sent from my iPad On Apr 29, 2015, at 6:40 PM, "Brad Pardee" <bp51...@windstream.net<mailto:bp51...@windstream.net>> wrote: In an article from the Weekly Standard, the question was raised about the implications for religious organizations losing their tax-exempt status if they continue to oppose same-sex marriage. The article talked about the case of Bob Jones University v. United States (1983), where they lost their tax-exempt status based on their opposition to interracial dating. Given the number of instances I've seen where parallels are drawn between interracial relationships and same-sex relationships, it seems realistic to ask if religious organizations would be similarly stripped of their tax-exempt status if the Supreme Court finds a constitutional right to same-sex marriage. The article includes this piece of discussion between Justice Samuel Alito and Solicitor Donald Verrilli Jr. JUSTICE ALITO: Well, in the Bob Jones case, the Court held that a college was not entitled to tax-exempt status if it opposed interracial marriage or interracial dating. So would the same apply to a university or a college if it opposed same-sex marriage? GENERAL VERRILLI: You know, I -- I don't think I can answer that question without knowing more specifics, but it's certainly going to be an issue. I -- I don't deny that. I don't deny that, JUSTICE ALITO: It is -- it is going to be an issue. http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/obama-admin-religious-organizations-could-lose-tax-exempt-status-if-supreme-court-creates-constitutional-right-same-sex-ma What is the consensus of this list? Would a ruling in favor of same-sex marriage lead to the same requirement that religious organizations accept same-sex marriage to avoid losing their tax exempt status, or would the religious freedom provisions of the First Amendment prevail here where they did not prevail where Bob Jones University is concerned? Brad Pardee _______________________________________________ To post, send message to Religionlaw@lists.ucla.edu<mailto:Religionlaw@lists.ucla.edu> To subscribe, unsubscribe, change options, or get password, see http://lists.ucla.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/religionlaw Please note that messages sent to this large list cannot be viewed as private. Anyone can subscribe to the list and read messages that are posted; people can read the Web archives; and list members can (rightly or wrongly) forward the messages to others.
_______________________________________________ To post, send message to Religionlaw@lists.ucla.edu To subscribe, unsubscribe, change options, or get password, see http://lists.ucla.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/religionlaw Please note that messages sent to this large list cannot be viewed as private. Anyone can subscribe to the list and read messages that are posted; people can read the Web archives; and list members can (rightly or wrongly) forward the messages to others.
