A picture of the sign outside of the Cornerstone Church in Mentone was taken Tuesday, Nov. 3. Photo provided.

By Dan Spalding
InkFreeNews

MENTONE – A church sign seen in Mentone was touting its support on Tuesday, Nov. 3, for President Donald Trump, a fact that bothered at least one InkFreeNews reader.

The reader, who declined to give their name, complained that the message in front of Cornerstone Church – Vote Biblical Values, Vote Trump – is a violation of the Internal Revenue Service.

A phone call to the church seeking comment Tuesday – Election Day – afternoon about the sign was not answered.

According to the IRS website, the ban was established In 1954, when Congress approved an amendment by Sen. Lyndon Johnson to prohibit 501(c)(3) organizations, including charities and churches, from engaging in any political campaign activity. To the extent Congress has revisited the ban over the years, it has in fact strengthened the ban. The most recent change came in 1987 when Congress amended the language to clarify that the prohibition also applies to statements opposing candidates.

Currently, the law prohibits political campaign activity by charities and churches by defining a 501(c)(3) organization as one “which does not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office,” according to the website.