In honor of all those wonderful clergy who tomorrow will break the law of the land because they want to be “treated like everyone else”, I propose that we all call our congresspeople and demand that indeed, the churches be treated like everyone else, and the “religion tax” on American taxpayers be repealed.The fact that a religion or cult believes in a deity should not, in and of itself, allow them tax exempt status. If they do something for the community, then let them prove it (like everyone else), and be tax exempt (without, of course, breaking the laws to which other nonprofit organizations must adhere). Mind you, what they call “outreach” is nothing more than marketing, and does not qualify as community service. They have to actually help other people, not just recruit.If they pay their taxes like everyone else, they can endorse their candidates like everyone else, and every community will enjoy a lot more revenue, paving the way for tax cuts for –guess who — everyone else. Simple stuff.Happy Tax the Church Day!
There are so many Churches around, it’s basically government run Communism to keep them all in business. What a money hole Churches are, and I’m talking about the deluded individuals that donate money each week as a tax write-off (out of your wallet it seems) as well as the deluded individuals that donate money as a non-tax write-off (out of their own wallets)!
Even worse though is that Comrad Obama supports “Faith-Based-Initiatives” and wants to raise the initiative to $500 million per year.
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/07/01/obamas-faith-based-mission/
Actually, to be fair, here are Obama’s and McCains plans concerning Faith Based Initiatives….
http://pewforum.org/religion08/compare.php?Issue=Faith__Based_Initiatives
Dave…does Ed ask you to post these ridiculous questions? How can someone who claims to be an activist for the myth, only defend the myth in one direction? Oh..wait, it’s a one way street…
Well, no worry. The Supreme Court has already ruled on this…
http://tinyurl.com/4lwult
Great idea! I wish I had known about this sooner. I would’ve made a video or something.
The one and only time I appeared on CNN was in 1997 when I and over 100 other American Atheists picketed the Promise Keepers’ Stand in the Gap rally at the National Mall in Washington DC. I got on CNN for about 4 seconds, standing next to Dave Silverman and a few other hardcore AA activists, and we were all yelling “TAX THE CHURCH! TAX THE CHURCH!”
Hey that’s not bad for me, since I had been active in the movement for only a year before that.
)
I’m proud to say that a copy of that CNN report is safely stored in the American Atheist Center video archive.
)
Joe Zamecki
Austin, TX
Wow Joe…100 eh?
I was at that event also…
Maybe you can see me standing next to 1,000,000 brothers of mine….
http://www.rain.org/~mkummel/stumpers/18jan02c.jpg
Promise Keepers’ “Stand In The Gap Rally”
- A Firsthand Report
Fundamental Evangelistic Association
selected articles from:
?FOUNDATION
A MAGAZINE OF BIBLICAL FUNDAMENTALISM
Dennis W. Costella, Editor; Karel Beyer, Production Manager; Matt Costella, Copy Editor
M.H. Reynolds, Jr. (1919-1997), Founding Editor
http://www.feasite.org/Foundation/fbcprom2.htm
Here is the address for the IRS page for reporting tax fraud scams or violations of the tax codes.
http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=106778,00.html
what is the difference between non profits and churches…..
does one actually provide a service and the other provide a heated spot to eat each others flour and sugar designs….
providing a tax break for special social clubs is stupid….
Here is a CNN news story about Pulpit Freedom Sunday:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woVTAVitd2c&eurl=http://richarddawkins.net/article,3177,-Conservative-Pastors-to-Break-Law-by-Endorsing-a-Candidate,CNN
And the xians say that its us gays who are asking for special rights…
At least Pastor Hice recognizes he is jeopardizing his church’s tax exempt status by preaching politics from the pulpit.
It’s good to know that the IRS has weighed in and will be watch-dogging the issue. And that in previous cases the courts have sided with the IRS.
I wonder if there will arise new sets of Christians who will say Church X is no longer a church any longer or that it isn’t really Christian if it ends up paying taxes?
Oh, I see, thanks for clarifying that Karen.
A simple You-Tube video works as evidence, right? Hehehehe!
I always thought it was ironic that churches are tax exempt, but colleges are not.
I see people getting upset at the idea that churches are active politically despite jeopardizing their tax-free status and I think they miss the point. The problem isn’t with their not paying taxes, it’s with their interfering with politics.
As tragic as it is that they don’t pay taxes, I think it would be so much worse if those churches were to suddenly have full permission to interfere with poltics. By exempting them taxes, it’s almost as if they’re being paid off for their silence.
Can we afford to open the floodgates?
so the pastors are gonna endorse candidates that cater to biblical issues….like where eve was made from adams rib or somthing….we deserve a greater depression….
Cynic,
The floodgates were opened around the time that religion began. Churches getting involved in politics is nothing new, and taxing them wouldn’t change that. It would just begin to validate their presense in the social sphere in the first place, but only to a certain extent. They still leech off of society, and they owe humanity a lot.
The taxation should be retroactive too, but like church taxation itself, that’s also just a dream, it seems.
If churches had to pay a tax for every child they sexually abuse, that would be a start. Of course it’s not logical to tax something that’s illegal in the first place, so the crime continues as well, undeterred, and again – untaxed.
Religion begins and ends with a rich tapestry of lies, and will take advantage of anything it can to advance itself. By “it” I mean the people, of course.
Joe Zamecki
Austin, TX
To all contributors,
I found this site in search of a place where like minded individuals could trade ideas and evaluations of evidence and potential conclusions therefrome on all the issues that face mankind.
I have met several individuals who have really won my respect as genuine free thinkers, like cynic, dormy mama, and even DVan who has recently decided he dislikes me.
I am impatient and blunt with people who can’t get a point even after you explain it to them three times, and as a result, I have worn out my welcome with many of you. And I am certainly not inclined to stay where I am not welcome.
But, bigger than that, my creeping feeling of frustration stems out of boredom like I’m bringing a college calculus textbook to a classroom of kindergartens ( and that does not apply to many of you, just too many). And somewhere along the way it wasn’t fun anymore. So, I’m saying goodbye (AND THE CROWD GOES WILD!!!!!!) Good luck. No reply necessary, I won’t be back.
NeoWolfe
tax the church and just how should they pay.the fed keeps cranking out dollars making it more worthless everyday.lets not leave out the jews and muslims we are all one big happy family after all.
the capitalist system is rotten to the core and no i’m not talking about the small business or family farm.
it looks like the corrupt bankers will get their bailout.
it is a crying shame that so many decent people are going to get burned just to save these crooks.
Comment from: CascadiaEventHorizon
Oh, but some are tax exempt…
http://www.taxexemptworld.com/organizations/harvard-ma-massachusetts.asp
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/05/14/beck.collegeendowment/index.html
Guess what they say about the heat in the kitchen is true, no?
Anyway, who wants to bet the IRS sits back and does nothing? They’re too busy prosecuting small business owners.
Besides, you can’t offend the religious. They have a hotline to gawd.
neo has left the building (boo hoo)
US law is not based on opinion…”In its 1970 opinion ” that is merely a footnote on the case and not rendered as any part of the law or decision.
Awww….TX.
You had to wait until 20 posts might have hid the fact that you responded to one of my posts? Poor guy…
Sure…I guess the opinion of Roe v Wade hasn’t become law…?
Or the Supreme court opinion of Everson v Board of Education didn’t establish the “myth” as law…?
You must be off of your game…
Pa’s got things for you to do! And Mother wants you. I know she does.
Neo! Neo! Come back!
What,
That’s just shanelessly punny.
666
How can a post a rim-shot?