Ending God's Tax Exempt Status

[smurfalicious]

I really have a problem with the Catholic Church being construed as a "church" and singled out in this thread (along with the likes of of the Bakkers, who were scam artists, not religious leaders, who used individuals' weaknesses to take advantage of them). Let's be honest - the CC is more of a business than spiritual sanctuary. The Vatican City isn't even a city so much as it's another world entirely, not even a part of any recognized country.

There's a huge difference between your local hometown church that provides religious and/or spiritual services, counsel, charity, etc., and the enormous CC, so full of pomp and circumstance, and headquartered in its own country, if you will, thousands of miles away, in secrecy. The local church, whether or not you subscribe to the particular ideologies of that church, makes an effort to be involved in its local community; provides meals, clothing, shelter to those in need; passes on tithings to orphanages, and the like; and, most importantly, provides spiritual counsel to those who desperately seek a 'higher' purpose or just something to believe in. Perhaps the biggest charity a church can offer is the time and effort of its pastors and counselors. The pastors, ministers, etc. usually have 'actual' jobs to pay the bills, or are retired, and don't take much pay, if any, from the church.

By contrast, the CC conducts itself as a business throughout the world. Even your soul has a price in the CC. It is a profitable organization that holds its finances in such secret, that it must be because it would be appalling to know the amount of money it rakes in.

I was born a Catholic, raised a Christian, and then grew a brain of my own. I am not religious, nor am I defending churches; I am spiritual, and I do take issue - HUGE issue - with organized religion as a whole. I do believe that there are many people, some of whom I have known very personally, that have been on the receiving end of the charitable donations of a church, most often in the form of personal and spiritual guidance, and, as much as I want to, I cannot deny that it was the church that helped to make them happy, healthy, kinder, and hold themselves to a higher standard.

I don't have a problem with non-profit organizations of any kind being exempt - as long as they keep and produce the books that evidence that they are on the up-and-up. Just because I don't subscribe to their ideologies doesn't mean they shouldn't exist. I believe that battered women should stop fucking crying about it and leave their abusers, but I'm certainly not trying to make their lives harder by giving the battered women's shelters a hard time about how they manage their funds.

Edit:

Why?

Because you have no fucking manners.
And no fucking manners either.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Happy Monkey

How is your post responsive to tw's? His is relevant to the title of the thread. If religion were removed from the list of tax exemption factors (Ending God's Tax Exempt Status), would the 700 Club or the Catholic Church still qualify?

I don't know if they would or not. But my concern is for all the backwater/storefront churches that don't do an organized charity program. They do help parishioners in need as the they arise, not sufficient to qualify as a charity. Most of them have enough trouble keeping the roof repaired without the additional burden of taxes.

But this is what rkzenrage, wants. He want's to drive all religion out because he hates it so much.

[Happy Monkey]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Most of them have enough trouble keeping the roof repaired without the additional burden of taxes.

So do nonreligious organizations. Why should the churches be a special case?

[xoxoxoBruce]

Most nonreligious organizations are tax exempt. Go to post #30 and plug in your zip code.

[Happy Monkey]

So why couldn't the churches do the same?

[xoxoxoBruce]

Thay come under the same tax code, but hate monger doesn't want them to.

[Happy Monkey]

What are you talking about?

If you remove the religious component of the tax code then they would come under the same tax code. Currently they don't.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Tax code: TITLE 26 > Subtitle A > CHAPTER 1 > Subchapter F > PART I > § 501

[Happy Monkey]

Yes, and? Remove the religious component, and they can still qualify, by doing what the nonreligious organizations do, right?

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

I don't know if they would or not. But my concern is for all the backwater/storefront churches that don't do an organized charity program. They do help parishioners in need as the they arise, not sufficient to qualify as a charity. Most of them have enough trouble keeping the roof repaired without the additional burden of taxes.

But this is what rkzenrage, wants. He want's to drive all religion out because he hates it so much.

That's come crystal ball you have there.

Originally Posted by Happy Monkey

So do nonreligious organizations. Why should the churches be a special case?

You know he's not going to answer you.
If you don't think churches are just the bees-knees and should be treated specially by government you "hate", LOL!!!!

Originally Posted by Happy Monkey

At the very least, when you add stuff, put "edit:" before the new bit.

edit:
Like this.

Ok.

Originally Posted by smurfalicious

Edit:

Because you have no fucking manners.
And no fucking manners either.

By the above I see that I should look elsewhere for lessons, however.

[lumberjim]

I'm your huckleberry

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Happy Monkey

Yes, and? Remove the religious component, and they can still qualify, by doing what the nonreligious organizations do, right?

They might or might not, depending on the size. By placing it in the federal law for all religions, minority churches wouldn't have battle more popular denominations for equal status. That's part of the government not taking sides, not supporting one religion over another, the real meaning of separation of church and state.