As much as I should NOT throw in my two cents on this topic, I cannot ignore it.

My Father was raised as a Roman Catholic and attended Catholic schools all of his life. He was one of the most deeply religious people that I have ever known. He also taught me that one does NOT need to enter a building to have a relationship with God.

My Aunt that never married or worked , and took care of my Grand Father until his death, was donating such a large percentage of his meager pension to the church (as instructed). That my Father was bailing them out because their electricity and heat was being cut off. (this was back in the 60's). Where was the church for them?

I originally planned to make several other points. Such as the tax exempt status of church property? Should that include the Empire State Building? Which the Catholic Church owned at one point? I attended a wedding years ago in the horse country of Virginia where the Priest of the Episcopal Church in Aldie, VA arrived in a Rolls Royce (that had been bequeathed to the church by a member). Rather than enjoy that luxury, should the Priest have turned that asset into funds to help the down trodden?

God does NOT discriminate, only religions do that. Of course it depends on which God one is referring too.

It deeply troubles me, that more people have been killed in the "NAME OF GOD" than any other reason in the history of human kind. On the other hand, if God created all of the creatures on earth and in heaven, why is it that only humans have religious wars?

I am at a loss to begin to answer that question?

 

Matt,

There is an Unrelated Business Tax on unrelated business income earned by not for profit organizations. Not all of the business holdings of religious organizations escape tax free.

But, you are asking some very good questions. Questions that I've never heard properly answered. As for holdings like the Empire State Building, I wonder if a religious organization should own rental properties to begin with. It would seem to me that it has absolutely nothing to do with the mission of the organization.

 

Religions may be oriented away from the world, but they are in the world. And in the world, money is necessary. It makes sense to me that religions would seek investments of their money just like any other individual or organization. Presumably they need that money for worldly things.

I'm not a member of any religion and I don't voluntarily contribute to any of them. But if people want to give their money and resources to religions, that's OK with me. Just so long as they don't try to take my money and resources.

 

Except that you seem to be missing the point. The mission of a religion is not (or is not supposed to be) the accumulation of wealth. The unrelated business and real estate holding have nothing what so ever to do with the organized religions stated purpose to exist.

If you can justify these holding simply by saying that they are in the world leads me to think that they then should be treated like any other organization thats in the world and not have special status.

The reason that religious organizations have tax exempt status is partly due to the separation of church and state doctrine and partly due to the fact that we consider religion to be sacred. We see it as the place of spiritual salvation. The tax exempt status was never meant to be for the accumulation of wealth.

 

Perhaps the accumulation of wealth is necessary to the mission, even if it is not the mission itself?

Regardless, as long as it's not my wealth I don't really care all that much. If it's just a tax dodge, though, then they deserve to be prosecuted.

 

[QUOTE=Matt_in_VA,Mar 1 2007, 07:22 PM] It deeply troubles me, that more people have been killed in the "NAME OF GOD" than any other reason in the history of human kind.

 

True. But the income produced by such investments can be used for whatever their mission is. It's no different than the investments of a university

 

[QUOTE=Traveler,Mar 2 2007, 03:45 PM] True. But the income produced by such investments can be used for whatever their mission is. It's no different than the investments of a university

 

with you in theory. HE gave us enough rope to hang ourselves.

I hope that your son is safe and makes it home from Afghanistan as well. Please send him my thanks and regards.

Not to sound like I am coming across as a whiner. I am SO HAPPY that the attitude toward the military has changed over the last thirty to forty years. Last week while I was on the tram at Hartsfield in Atlanta. I was standing next to a soldier. I was about to thank him for his service when the two females that got on with him, engaged him in a conversation and thanked him for his service and wished him well. By contrast, back in the summer of 1970 while in uniform while walking through the Port of Authority Terminal in Manhattan on my way home during a weekend pass, I was spit on for being in uniform.

Needless to say, I am happy that attitudes have changed.

 

I guess that only leaves the other taboo: SEX.