FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 8, 2025
Contact: Court Beyer, cbeyer@americanhumanist.org
WASHINGTON – The following is a statement from American Humanist Association Executive Director Fish Stark in response to reporting from the New York Times that the I.R.S. is allowing churches and pastors to endorse political candidates, effectively nullifying the 1954 Johnson Amendment for churches, which bans campaigning by nonprofits:
“This is another dark day for our democracy. The Johnson Amendment, though weakened over the years by lax enforcement, is the small but mighty dam standing in the way of a torrent of dark money influencing our elections. Now that the Trump administration has opened the door to pastors and houses of worship explicitly backing candidates for office, all bets are off. There will be little to stop billionaires from funneling money through churches to buy our elections – and they will get a tax write-off for doing it, all subsidized by American taxpayers.
“We’re discouraged, but ultimately not surprised to see the Trump administration follow through on this threat. Weakening the Johnson Amendment to consolidate political power has long been a priority for Christian Nationalists – and now they have the megaphone they’ve been waiting for for decades.
“As humanists, we fight to defend the separation of church and state, not just to protect nonreligious Americans, but to safeguard our democracy itself. The decimation of the Johnson Amendment sets us on a dangerous trajectory away from the promise of secular government and equal treatment for all. Americans deserve fair elections and a government that works for all of us – not just the religious right.”
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The American Humanist Association (AHA) works to protect the rights of humanists, atheists, and other nontheistic Americans. The AHA advances the ethical and life-affirming worldview of humanism, which—without beliefs in gods or other supernatural forces—encourages individuals to live informed and meaningful lives that aspire to the greater good of humanity.