Since 1954, the 508 law change has been in effect w IRS approved by Congress. This is 70 YEARS Legislation approved in 1954, commonly known as the Johnson Amendment.
This mandated that those organizations be registered under the IRC as a 501(c)(3) with reporting requirements that would allow the government to monitor their activities. Section 508 of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) was codified to formalize a standard that had been implicit since America’s independence in 1776 – freedom of religion, freedom of speech and freedom to peaceably assemble. Due to the violation of First Amendment rights on the religious organizations in America with the requirements of the 501(c)(3) designation, the decision was made to establish a new 508 Non-profit designation.