Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
In my area, there is a very large Evangelical Church that has aspirations of building to become a super mega church! They have been soliciting donations from the congregation in a big way, right smack in the middle of a recession!
Some examples of this are:
the church pressured the congregates to give their stimulus check sent out the spring of 2008,
they met with each member individually in order to "counsel" them on a personal scale of what they are able to contribute,
and finally
the good old, "if you are truly a Christian, you will give." sermon.
Nothing is in the plans of this church to feed or provide shelter for people facing hardship. Just a mega church that makes the pastor a star while the parishioners sacrifice during hard times.
Kinda reminds me of that one televangelist who said the viewers would go to hell if they didn't donate money.
Isn't that the truth?
If I walked a mile from my house, I would pass three churches. There is no need for three churches within a one mile radius.
I especially hate seeing all the cars parked on private property when there is a perfectly empty parking lot at the neighborhood elementary school. I am sure the people that live right by the church hate that all these people block their driveway and prevent their friends/family from being able to park there if they wanted to visit.
I did a quick google map of my town (14,000 residents) and the town near me (10,000 residents) and there are 33 churches. THIRTY THREE. Is that really necessary? I pass 9 on my 12 mile drive to work.
So what people want is more styrip malls that are abandoned in ten years and businesses that are abanboned and the governamnt has to pay to have them torndown. Churches are a much more stble thing and IMo addd to a neighborhood while abandoned houses and businesses turn into strip clubs and carxcck houses when abandoned. Churches remain for centuries. Churches are among the most stabalising building in a area that is even gone to getto.
I did a quick google map of my town (14,000 residents) and the town near me (10,000 residents) and there are 33 churches. THIRTY THREE. Is that really necessary? I pass 9 on my 12 mile drive to work.
The number varies depending on which way I go but there are LOTS of churches within a 5 mile radius of my house. It's ridiculous.
I also pass 9 on my way to work and I only live 5 miles from my job.
If they got their way, the churches could become a self-feeding monster out of control!
Quote:
WASHINGTON -- Winning the souls, or at least the votes, of conservative evangelical Christians is central to the Republican Party strategy under President Bush. But when Republican congressional leaders last month tried to push through the House Ways and Means Committee a top priority for evangelical Christians -- an easing of Internal Revenue Service rules barring preachers from using their tax-exempt pulpits to endorse political candidates -- it suffered a surprising setback.
As much as religion tries to shape public policy they SHOULD pay taxes. Period.
Methinks Jesus would not like to be subsidized by non-church-going people. I thought such wealth transfer & dole are immoral. No tax breaks - for churches, mosques, acorn, etc etc.
In my area, there is a very large Evangelical Church that has aspirations of building to become a super mega church! They have been soliciting donations from the congregation in a big way, right smack in the middle of a recession!
Some examples of this are:
the church pressured the congregates to give their stimulus check sent out the spring of 2008,
they met with each member individually in order to "counsel" them on a personal scale of what they are able to contribute,
and finally
the good old, "if you are truly a Christian, you will give." sermon.
Nothing is in the plans of this church to feed or provide shelter for people facing hardship. Just a mega church that makes the pastor a star while the parishioners sacrifice during hard times.
No church that Ihave ever attended did this. And neithier would I agree to it if I didn't want to (and chances of it are slim to none). But that's the key: Members who followed "counsel" ~ whether they wanted to or not ~ made their choices! If they didn't want to face ridicule then there are other churches out there they could turn to.
And it doesn't matter how many churches are in any given town or city. Damn few of them become derelict, so they'll remain active as long as they have participants.
In my town one cool old church was converted into an Arts 'n' Cultural Center and is dong quite well.
But where will we put their seats in the congress?
Most churches interfere in politics already.
Taxing churches would'nt open any barn doors that aren't already open.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
