There’s some funny business (and not the ‘haha’ kind) going on between the IRS and the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), an organization of “freethinkers (atheists, agnostics)” who are “committed to the cherished principle of separation of state and church.”

The FFRF has accused 99 churches of illegal electioneering activities by expressing one-sided views on “political” issues. These “political” issues are things such as stances on homosexuality, abortion, and religious freedom rights even though no candidates are associated or mentioned.

One of the church ministries the FFRF is accusing is that of Rev. Billy Graham for funding an ad urging voters to “Vote Biblical.”  And it’s not just the national level that the FFRF is fighting — it is also doing things like calling out a small parish for including these same value statements in an election season letter.

What’s so fishy, though, is that the FFRF also had a lawsuit against the IRS – until the IRS agreed to investigate the 99 churches, that is. After the IRS presented a letter to the Justice Department that states these 99 churches “merit high priority for examination,” the FFRF dropped its lawsuit against them.

The IRS also held private talks with the FFRF, purportedly, to assure them that the monitoring of churches will definitely happen.

Justice Department attorney, J. Christian Adams, explains on Fox News:

“They want them to convert theology to political. They want them to convert them to politics and say, “hey that’s not theology that’s political and you shouldn’t be talking like that.” And they want to use the IRS as a weapon against christianity, against faith.”

This certainly appears to be a ploy by the FFRF to take away a church’s basic rights because it doesn’t agree with them. The situation is even more ridiculous because the IRS seems to be taking the FFRF’s bait like a fish attracted to gold flecks on a bedazzled bobber.

Does the FFRF have a point – Are churches too involved in politics? Or is the IRS simply looking for another way to target organizations it doesn’t agree with?