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All churches should be taxed. If they go under because people only donate to them for tax breaks, so be it.
Only true charities should be tax-exempt...not religious institutions. Sure, some churches use their tax-exempt status for good, but the truth of the matter is that they simply use that tax-free status to employ preachers and their wives/friends and continue to poison the minds of indoctrinated sheep.
First of all, science also indoctrinates sheeple, making them mindlessly obey the "facts" and check philosophy at the door and except the "facts" about a reality that cannot even be proven to exist (Solipsism) but that is another topic for another board (don't start this argument: It is one of the ones I always win)
Second, "charity" is not necessarily "non-profit". Non-profit means you are not doing it for money but just to do it. An organization dedicated to the promotion of amature sports, for example, would be non-profit even though they are not helping people directly. Likewise people like those PETA freaks get tax exempt status, because they are not doing it for the money.
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I don't see why my taxes should go to subsidize the Westboro Baptist Church or the Church of Scientology or all those Catholic Priests who fondle little boys...
Maybe because they don't? They get money from their members.
Honestly, I don't understand the lame-brain Dawkins Witnesses who have an issue with people going about their lives and practicing religion. Don't like religion? DON'T PRACTICE ONE! I find science to be the single more boring area of study in the history of human civilization, and hence, I don't study it. But do I throw a fit when someone reads a science book? I just shrug and say "different strokes for different folks" and I also through in a "there is one loser who will never get laid"
And SPARE ME the whole "priest molest boys" argument. That happens significantly more in schools in the US:
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Yet, during the first half of 2002, the 61 largest newspapers in California ran nearly 2,000 stories about sexual abuse in Catholic institutions, mostly concerning past allegations. During the same period, those newspapers ran four stories about the federal government's discovery of the much larger — and ongoing — abuse scandal in public schools.
The reason people bring that up is because they hate religion, plain and simple, and see the Catholic abuse thing as a weakness they can exploit.
I don't like professional sports, especially American Football, which is the REAL opium of the people (give them circus as the Romans used to say) and distracts people from real news and reinforces a Neanderthal culture. But do you see me saying the government should stop *gasp!* teaching kids American Football on the taxpayer dime at school? No. I just don't engage in it and if the kids want to engage in the most homoerotic sport in history, let them (Any game in which the object is to "score" or get a "penetration in the end zone" and they have teams with names like "the Packers, the Oilers and Cowboys" is gayer than DragFest 69)
Don't like religion? Don't practice one. Don't be upset because we have something in our lives that gives us meaning and stimulates our inner-Hero-With-A-Thousand-Faces (Thanks Joe!)
I am anti-family, am sick of politics, generally am not keen on relationships, can't stand science and question if it has done more harm than good and am all around tired of this miserable pack of morons we call "humanity", as well as absolutely can't stand sports...the religions of man however, after my years of studying them, has shown itself to be one of the few things that I can still respect after scrutiny. Why tax that? Why not just tax profession sports more?...call it the "Neanderthal Tax."
Um, then you need to change the tax status of all the other non-profits as well like AARP, NOW, ACLU, NRA, NAACP and so forth.
Exactly. These clowns just have a beef with religion and ridicule 86+ percent of Americans who believe in a high power and do everything in their power to attack them...and then get mad when people have a poor opinion of Atheists
I don't like professional sports, especially American Football, which is the REAL opium of the people (give them circus as the Romans used to say) and distracts people from real news and reinforces a Neanderthal culture. But do you see me saying the government should stop *gasp!* teaching kids American Football on the taxpayer dime at school? No. I just don't engage in it and if the kids want to engage in the most homoerotic sport in history, let them (Any game in which the object is to "score" or get a "penetration in the end zone" and they have teams with names like "the Packers, the Oilers and Cowboys" is gayer than DragFest 69)
Off topic but yes, I should have mentioned that...any sport where it is possible to begin your career as a "tight end" but finish as a "wide receiver" has major closeted issues...and it still gets tax payer funding in schools. Do I want my money to go to make people more likely to watch "The Packers vs The Browns?" Maybe not...but I don't whine about it.
All churches should be taxed. If they go under because people only donate to them for tax breaks, so be it.
Only true charities should be tax-exempt...not religious institutions. Sure, some churches use their tax-exempt status for good, but the truth of the matter is that they simply use that tax-free status to employ preachers and their wives/friends and continue to poison the minds of indoctrinated sheep.
Religion is a cancer on this country and the best way to cure cancer is to starve it out...remove the tax-free donations from the church and maybe we can finally end the madness known as religion.
I don't see why my taxes should go to subsidize the Westboro Baptist Church or the Church of Scientology or all those Catholic Priests who fondle little boys...
A bit of an extreme view but one worthy of consideration looking at the business angle only.
How about churches that represent a particular religion that eschews the normal abhorrance of mudane business but rather embraces it? How about churches whose devotees make up a significant portion of the trucking industry in the form of 'owner operators'. These folks band together to purchase a commercial semi tractor then take it to their "church" to have it blessed and in return tithe a portion of the trucks income back to the church.
So far so good? Well not really; in return for that tithe these churches act as a network of brokers for loads for those trucks so that they operate 24/7 never shutting down with two or three making a living operating that truck until they've reached the financial capability to go buy another and another ALL tithing to those mo..oops, churches. In this manner they can undercut a market that demands brokerage fees be paid and taxes paid on those fees etc.. This is just one commercial endeavor those mo...oops, churches are involved in.
The government will virtually pee razor blades before going after those folks as they want no part of the resultant chit storm. As a result I feel all churches are safe from intrusion into their affairs as sauce for the goose is...
I don't like professional sports, especially American Football, which is the REAL opium of the people (give them circus as the Romans used to say) and distracts people from real news and reinforces a Neanderthal culture. But do you see me saying the government should stop *gasp!* teaching kids American Football on the taxpayer dime at school? No. I just don't engage in it and if the kids want to engage in the most homoerotic sport in history, let them (Any game in which the object is to "score" or get a "penetration in the end zone" and they have teams with names like "the Packers, the Oilers and Cowboys" is gayer than DragFest 69) "
Woooeee! Add Basketball and Nascar to your list and you'd have 2/3rds of your population walking around like zombies with a glazed look in their eyes wondering what to do with all of their newfound free time. Cripes some might even spend some quality time with their offspring showing them how to build, make, erect, assemble something useful and rewarding.
They get a tax break for being an Atheist non-profit organization. Close enough.
They sued because they are the Evangelical kind of atheist, or "Dawkins Witnesses" as I like to call them. Most atheists are of the shrug and say "meh, religion isn't my thing but whatever floats your boat as long as it doesn't effect me." While these guys are the Taliban of Atheism who want to whole world to join in their "their is no gawwwwd" whine fest. They may as well be religious...they even have street preachers:
No, it's not close enough, unless you're comparing all non-profits.
I'm not going to watch your silly little youtube videos.
The atheists are NOT getting religious tax breaks.
They got the tax break for being non-profit.
Geez, how difficult is this to understand?
You even admit that and say "close enough" - no, not in a long shot. Your post is disingenous at best, outright lying at worst.
If you want to eliminate tax breaks from everyone, do so, but your religious beliefs are not reason to get special breaks.
If you can provide adequate proof of your ridiculous allegations, you can join in the argument. However, there are HOW many thousands of Churches in the country? And you may be using less than 1% (IF that) as an example of the whole?
Look into the major donors and charities in this country. The vast majority of them are Christian churches. If you'd like to continue the argument AFTER doing so, you're welcome to.
If you'd like to keep throwing out random and untrue statements in an attempt to say "church=bad", you're welcome to do so. Just don't expect anyone to respond.
Common sense is truly lacking on the left. You want help for the poor and needy, but you want to punish the group that's behind the vast majority of that help. Brilliant.
There were clear examples posted upthread.
Other than that, talk about drivel...
My god atheists are stupid. The fact that they are allowed to organize as 501C3's is the only thing keeping these churches from organizing powerful political lobbies and sticking their fingers into our government policy.
Nope because atheism isn't a charitable premise. Ever seen an atheist school, atheist hospital, atheist hospice, atheist homeless shelters, atheist food pantries, etc?
Religion is not a charitable organization.
They may be doing a small bit of charitable work, but that's not the reason they're in existence.
Were it a fact, and be clear it is not, you would think they'd be happy to accept their tax burden to support the most people it can with the least amount of effort.
But any of these things can be run by atheists.
The point is that atheism is not a religion, but can be tax-exempt for being non-profit.
Just like the local rotary.
Atheism is not organized; the only thing that atheists have in common is the fact that they don't believe in fantasy god things.
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Maybe because they don't? They get money from their members. 
has major closeted issues...and it still gets tax payer funding in schools. Do I want my money to go to make people more likely to watch "The Packers vs The Browns?" Maybe not...but I don't whine about it.
