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Exactly! The shudder of fear running through so many people on this thread suggests that maybe churches are making a bundle of cash and not necessarily distributing all that largess to the needy. Otherwise why sweat the tax suggestion?
I will admit to having great difficulty believing that a church which houses the holders of high offices in palatial homes, gives them the funds to dress in satin, lace and jewels, maintains them with servants and chauffered limos is likely to be a non-profit institution. That is simpy BS of the highest order.
You say that like the majority of churches, temples, etc are like that.
What would you say the % is that are actually how you described?
Well BIG guy, there's nothing in any of my posts that suggests I don't understand "taxation without representation".
As far as religion and churches go, the only thing I'd be thrilled with is if they were outlawed completely. As I wrote before, organized religion is the root of more suffering in the history of the world than all other factors combined.
As for representation, they are already represented -- albeit tacitly. Their influence is HUGE -- and hugely destructive to democracy. On top of that, they are getting a free pass. Many folks here cry about freeloading individuals but laud freeloading churches and other corporate scams.
That has to be one of the stupidest things I've EVER read!
That has to be one of the stupidest things I've EVER read!
Really?
the Muslim Conquests ...
The Crusades ...
the 800 year Reconquista ...
The Inquisition ...
the 36 years of the French Wars of Religion ...
Protestants v. Catholics in Ireland
[quote]"...About a third of all civil wars since 1940 (42 of 133 civil wars) have had a religious basis. Their proportion has been increasing over time, beginning in the 1970s, and religious civil wars now make up about half of all ongoing civil wars." [quote]
etc.
but most significantly:
the teaching of shame and guilt and humiliation ...
missionary zeal and endeavor and enslavement of aboriginal peoples world-wide ...
the conflicts of our modern times with religious extremists ...
the antagonism ...
the judgement of each other ...
I give money directly to the local foodbank organization (which is not connected with a church in any way). That way, I'm not paying for half the money to leave the community to be redistributed by a "diocese" to pay for the bishop's congregation, leaving the rural communities without any resources. I'm also not also paying for a priest to get free housing, a maid, a chef and a huge retirement pension. And I'm not paying to heat a huge energy inefficient building with vaulted ceilings just so 10 old people can have their social hour every day.
Not to pick on just Catholics, but I'm also not paying for some crazy meglamaniac megachurch leader to buy yet another yacht.
Ah, predictable responses for the most part so far ...
Note: most non-profits provide exclusively community / public service that relieves government of cost burdens and add to societal advantage.
Churches serve very little in the way of those functions, if any for many, and focus on only very narrow membership groups. Catholic charities represent only a small portion of their budgets, for example. All the while collecting revenues for their own use.
Every church I have ever seen has plenty of community based and free services. What planet are you from? It's obvious you haven't a clue about the topic at hand and are posting for the sake of seeing something you wrote in print. I know plenty of churches whose members have lost their jobs, retired on fixed incomes and do more for the poor than most folks who raise money just for that purpose.
Maybe you should join one and report back in a year..
Every church I have ever seen has plenty of community based and free services. What planet are you from? It's obvious you haven't a clue about the topic at hand and are posting for the sake of seeing something you wrote in print. I know plenty of churches whose members have lost their jobs, retired on fixed incomes and do more for the poor than most folks who raise money just for that purpose.
Maybe you should join one and report back in a year..
The very last thing I would be caught doing is joining ANY kind of religion ...
Many churches -- but certainly not "every" one -- have community based services ... which services are not proof that they are providing services in any particular percentage of their income ... nor that their services are equal in compensation to the community as that they might pay in taxes. These questions are impossible to answer because churches are not required to report income.
Many churches do not have significant, if any, community services.
There are some of each ... and at every extreme, as well as moderation.
The very last thing I would be caught doing is joining ANY kind of religion ...
Many churches -- but certainly not "every" one -- have community based services ... which services are not proof that they are providing services in any particular percentage of their income ... nor that their services are equal in compensation to the community as that they might pay in taxes. These questions are impossible to answer because churches are not required to report income.
Many churches do not have significant, if any, community services.
There are some of each ... and at every extreme, as well as moderation.
Words by one of the most hateful bigots I've ever run across.
Pretty sad, buddy. You need to have a LONG look in the mirror.
Really?
the Muslim Conquests ...
The Crusades ...
the 800 year Reconquista ...
The Inquisition ...
the 36 years of the French Wars of Religion ...
Protestants v. Catholics in Ireland"...About a third of all civil wars since 1940 (42 of 133 civil wars) have had a religious basis. Their proportion has been increasing over time, beginning in the 1970s, and religious civil wars now make up about half of all ongoing civil wars."
etc.
but most significantly:
the teaching of shame and guilt and humiliation ...
missionary zeal and endeavor and enslavement of aboriginal peoples world-wide ...
the conflicts of our modern times with religious extremists ...
the antagonism ...
the judgement of each other ...
phbbbt ...
You've stretched your hateful rhetoric to the point where it means nothing.
What you've cited is examples of people like you, behaving as people like you will behave. Nothing more and nothing less.
Look at the state of the Spanish economy, their government is desperate to find new money, any money, that they can spend.
I wonder if there is a rat hole in Europe, that the left would follow them down into.
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