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To be honest I think there is too much "God talk" or "religious talk" in politics. It turns me off!...Some candidates try to link themselves up "with God" hoping to appear "saintly" and "holy" and gain more votes from their "target audience."
When you make government your god then it's all god talk.
I'm not currently a "church-goer" and I am not a "Liberal." I'm not a Conservative either...I don't want to be "stuck in a box." I want to be free to take a look at all sides...As a former store owner my husband and I came face-to-face with many issues. A majority of voters decided to raise the minimum wage in our state a few years back. We paid our employees a little more than minimum wage so the new law didn't directly affect us. But it did feel weird to give voters the right to tell private businesses what they had to pay their employees. Especially since the extra money for wages wasn't going to come out of their pockets...There were other sides to look at too. Wages haven't kept up with inflation...I don't want to get stuck in "black and white thinking" where I only look at one side and stop there. Complex problems require complex thinking and creative solutions. This is how I feel anyway.
Most people put a little money in the collection box when they go to church each Sunday...Churches depend on money from their flock to pay expenses and "stay in business!"... Some of this money is used to sponsor events and outreach programs in the community and to help the poor and needy...In a way we are asked to "tithe" to our country when we pay taxes. Some of our taxes go to our city and county and state governments to pay for services and re-pave roads and fund new projects etc...Our federal taxes go into a "community pot" for a wide variety of expenses too...Churches view themselves as a "body of people." And city and state and federal governments operate on this same principle. ..Questions arise concerning how the money will be spent. Or how much we should be required to pay in taxes. Churches don't demand a "fixed amount" when it comes to donations....What would happen if everyone stopped tithing to their local church? What would happen if no one paid any taxes whatsoever?
If enough of us did it at the same time as a protest the IRS would be overwhelmed.
I'm not currently a "church-goer" and I am not a "Liberal." I'm not a Conservative either...I don't want to be "stuck in a box." I want to be free to take a look at all sides...As a former store owner my husband and I came face-to-face with many issues. A majority of voters decided to raise the minimum wage in our state a few years back. We paid our employees a little more than minimum wage so the new law didn't directly affect us. But it did feel weird to give voters the right to tell private businesses what they had to pay their employees. Especially since the extra money for wages wasn't going to come out of their pockets...There were other sides to look at too. Wages haven't kept up with inflation...I don't want to get stuck in "black and white thinking" where I only look at one side and stop there. Complex problems require complex thinking and creative solutions. This is how I feel anyway.
I agree but I think Government makes the problems complex with their interference.
When you make government your god then it's all god talk.
I don't view government as "my god." I've spent most of my life as an "anti-systems" kind of person. I question everything. I'm not a fan or advocate of "Obamacare." I don't want government to keep intruding into my private life. ..I went to "Mc Donald's" the other day and felt confused. It looked like prices had gone way up on their "value menu." But no...Their prices didn't go up. Someone just forced them to list the calorie count right up on the store menu. (Versus having the calorie counts listed on sheets on a bulletin board off to the side)....What a crazy idea and mandate! It's hard to tell the calorie count from the price of items! Have you noticed this?...Some things go too far! We're not a group of "stupid kids" who need government watching our every move.
We're contributing to the "whole" when we tithe to our church and when we pay taxes...How we feel about taxes and how tax dollars are spent is another matter...We are tied together in many other ways too and our actions (or lack of action) affects the economy as a "whole." This is why the "consumer confidence" index is so important to investors and businesses and "top dogs" in Washington. What is the outlook? Will people be inclined (or less inclined) to spend money over the next quarter?
Not really. You're not giving to the 'whole' when you tithe to a church. Not only are you not giving to the whole you always maintain the right to not tithe with no penalty, nor can a church force you to tithe or dictate the percentage you must tithe.
Again, completely different from the IRS....
The outlook? The outlook isn't so good and it looks like people will certainly be less inclined to spend. If I really knew the answer for sure I'd probably be rich but alas I have no crystal ball.
1. Tithing is not a requirement. At least it shouldn't be at a good church. Yes, the people should support their church--but it's all voluntary. They don't get in trouble if they don't.
2. If I'm tithing to a church, I would expect that if they continually spend 130% over income level, no matter what the income level is, I expect the elders or pastor would get an earful.
3. I would hope a church wouldn't do stuff like bomb other churches our leader doesn't agree with, kill babies with my money, etc.
4. Honestly...doesn't surprise me to hear a liberal compare tithing to taxes....libs seem to look at government as their god.
I believe they think they can do better!! what fools!
Most people put a little money in the collection box when they go to church each Sunday...Churches depend on money from their flock to pay expenses and "stay in business!"... Some of this money is used to sponsor events and outreach programs in the community and to help the poor and needy...In a way we are asked to "tithe" to our country when we pay taxes. Some of our taxes go to our city and county and state governments to pay for services and re-pave roads and fund new projects etc...Our federal taxes go into a "community pot" for a wide variety of expenses too...Churches view themselves as a "body of people." And city and state and federal governments operate on this same principle. ..Questions arise concerning how the money will be spent. Or how much we should be required to pay in taxes. Churches don't demand a "fixed amount" when it comes to donations....What would happen if everyone stopped tithing to their local church? What would happen if no one paid any taxes whatsoever?
We alkready see what happens when thru politcs 49% do not pay any federal taxes. Thank god.that churches do not use a code like the tax code you redistribute income.But most churches alos have diffeerent collections for different causes and does not force one to give to any.I'd be willig to bet if the governamnt has to rely on donations and separate funds giivng then they wouldn't get much now.
What would happen if everyone stopped tithing to their local church? What would happen if no one paid any taxes whatsoever?
People would adapt, as they always do. Human beings cannot be stopped by such utter trivialities. The most immediate response would simply be that government would rule with a totalitarian iron fist and stick a gun in peoples faces, if necessary, to collect money.... making a legal 'example' of x number of people in order to 'persuade' everyone else into compliance.
However, if the intent of the question was to wonder what we might do if such a compulsory system were to somehow cease to exist, the answer, quite simply, is that humans would develop alternative institutions to fulfill their needs and desires which do many of the things that we did before, simply going about it a slightly different way. We could, for example, elect to operate on a user-fee type system... and in due time we could end up with many of the same institutions we had before. We would not lose that which we truly value, because one way or another, we will adapt to find different ways of bringing our desires to fruition.
Last edited by FreedomThroughAnarchism; 08-16-2011 at 03:59 AM..
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