Comments on: Celebrate Pulpit Freedom Sunday by Calling for Politically Active Churches to Pay Taxes

By: Oline Wright

Oline Wright — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 10:41:30 +0000

If they are breaking the laws dealing with non-profit status then yes they should lose tax exempt status for at least a minimum of 7 years. Then they will have to re-apply for said status and agree to be monitored for compliance. This might should apply only to the individual churches rather than full denomination as some churches might be doing the right thing even if others of the same denomination are not.
If they are indeed sending the IRS videos of those sermons and a case could be made on the basis of those tapes then the church should be investigated without the need for someone to get the courage up to go against their religious leaders.
I have to go along with the idea that if the church is operating a business that hires non-members they have to respect the beliefs of those employees granting them insurance that pays for contraceptives if that be the course they choose. They can mandate what their members may and may not do but they cannot mandate non-members values and lives.

What do you think? 0 0

By: Churchlady

Churchlady — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 03:56:40 +0000

Because, sigh, the money is for the work of the church NOT in private hands. Please understand the laws and ALSO the nature of denominations.

Then understand that those two churches are global in size and not just your local corner UCC congregation struggling to survive. Drive around. How many huge edifices do you see? Few. The Pentecostal, Evangelical, Catholic, and Mormon churches of enormous size are fewer in number than the dozens, hundreds, thousands of small but dedicated congregations that are mostly Protestant. The Mormons and Catholics obeyed the laws – they did NOT spend more than 5% of their money on advocacy which is the limit. They just have HUGE amounts TO spend. You don’t have to like it. It happens to be the law for non-profits. So long as there are no shareholder distributions, and the money goes for some kind of public good, they are non-profit.

Rmuse posits faith groups should do this for free. Cool, but we don’t live in a tribal society wandering the desert. So long as we have bricks and mortar as the location for FREE health clinics, soup kitches, food pantries, recreation for disaffected youth, etc., and so long as we live in a 21st century society, faith groups as non-profits ARE NO DIFFERENT FROM any other NON PROFIT. WE have married clergy who need support. We have programs that need support. We don’t pocket the money but use it to advance justice and equity. Protestants for the most part are not in this for the money – again, the reason they are non-profit.

If you remember the scandal of United Way when the national CEO was taking in nearly $500,000 plus perks annually, the IRS DID move in and stopped that. There are rules about uses of tax-deductible money, and enriching your staff is a no-no. That’s why someone like Franklin Graham hides his compensation (you can see his 990 – he lives off TAX money for relief work overseas and his record is appalling and MUST be investigated.) You can look at any local church, and it’s night and day. Progressives largely do NOT get paid well relatively speaking. Again – abiding by the law and not lining one’s own pocket.

So unless and until you’re willing to challenge the non-profit status of Progressive American, Common Cause, ACLU, Center for Free Inquiry – don’t challenge JUST churches on these issues. Go after the ones that violate the law. And live with the fact that some just have a boatload of money, current and historic, the rest of us don’t.

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By: Shiva (Moderator)

Shiva (Moderator) — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 02:51:20 +0000

If churches make no profit, why is the mormon church and the catholic church so fantastically wealthy? How can the catholics pay so many millions to abused kids? Churches are for profit entities disguised as non profits

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By: Churchlady

Churchlady — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 02:18:18 +0000

Rmuse – it can begin with a citizen complaint. All audits require authorization. Get over it. Most people are afraid to call out those doing illegal things. We know one very conservative group in CA is doing political things on c-3 money. No one has the nerve – including me – to report them. Fear of disclosure and lawsuits is a real deterrent. But once the complaint IS lodged, it can proceed. This is not that difficult.Just ask liberal All Saints Episcopal in Pasadena, CA – the complaint came from someone who lived in another state based on a NEWS story, and the investigation moved on.

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By: Churchlady

Churchlady — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 02:14:02 +0000

This is your opinion, not based on facts. Churches don’t ALL believe in “our lord and savior Jesus Christ” and seek personal salvation. They follow teachings, and they give their money for good JUST AS SECULAR ORGANIZATIONS DO. There is no profit. No profit, tax exemptions and tax deductibility for donations. You cannot tax those organizations, faith or secular, that MAKE NO PROFIT. What IS your problem that you think it’s OK for the ACLU and not for the faith organizations that SUPPPORT what the ACLU does? Your view of religions is oddly your own and not consistent with fact.

Go ahead with your little project to rip tax exempt status from your allies and see how well you do with progressive actions. You don’t even bother to find out what the differences ARE or how much progressive and liberal faith groups do the right things AND do so within the law.

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