Now that seems like blasphemy! When the black community was told of the money, they were wasted with nothing to show for it in the black community was a damn shame.
this always bothered me... why do non religious people have to indirectly finance churches?
and then do the math and think about how much money youre indirectly paying to support churches, out of your taxes. and people complain netflix is too expensive? 😆
Tax them ALL! They haven’t protected our children from pedophiles or shooting, haven’t stepped forward to help the homeless or underserved, and have been the backbone to division. They have their prayers which is good enough for those who they turned away…zero pity
Don't give them the luxury of responding here. They crave attention and conflict, that's the whole reason for an account here. Block and ignore. Arguing with them accomplishes nothing. Keep this place different and leave them stuck on X arguing with one another.
With tax breaks for churches, we are subsidizing:
. Religious texts in schools
. Biblical intervention in science
. Hate against LGBTQ+
. Pedophilia
. The 1% and higher
The tax-exempt status for churches means they contribute no revenue to government tax collections despite often benefiting from public services (e.g., roads, fire departments).
Unfortunately this system effectively shifts the tax burden to others, depriving public services of necessary funds.
I look forward to the day a Presidential candidate can run on a platform that fully supports this movement. The churches are all willfully ignoring the "separation" so tax them like all other State businesses.
Arrest church violators - cloth&collar - for violating separation of church & state.Don't co-opt tax revenue w defending Democracy.
Prison sentences would be more effective in curbing rogue christos. Submit claims to IRS the regulatory agency, not just tax collectors). A simple form.
Especially the ones that like to politicize from the pulpit. They should not only be taxed they should be "defrocked" "disassociated with" or plain old removed from whatever Church they have franchised their affiliation with. Support an organization's platform or be removed from said organization.
I wouldn't tax all of them, but I sure as hell would tax those with over a certain number of congregants. Like 200. Not thousand. Just 200 little Sunday worshippers. Smaller churches run on a small budget as it is.
In our nation's beginning churches were happy about the separation of church and state, because it kept government out of the pulpit. The few states that had laws pertaining to state sanctioned churches quickly abandoned those laws as ministers & congregations enjoyed the benefits. I'm baffled now.
This is such a haven for criminality! All under the banner of heaven! The US needs to wake up! Of course they just voted to go back to sleep! The Trump Church will be next!
Mega churches for sure, maybe after they bring in a certain amount of money. Mine is barely scraping by, if they were taxed, they would probably go under
Nationwide, researchers estimate religion contributes hundreds of billions of dollars to the U.S. economy. In fact, between churches and charities, religious colleges and universities, and so on, people of faith may provide as much as $1.2 trillion to America.
So, a consumers they can spend their money as fit.
How would taxing churches change how much they people give?
And some of that church work goes towards spreading intolerance, racism and misogyny. But I guess that's OK if a christian religion is doing it, right?
Not every church is a Crystal Cathedral nor is every parish pastor a Joel Osteen. If a church promotes political ideology from the pulpit, the IRS needs to challenge their 501c status. Don’t paint every faithful church with the same broad brush
I’ve heard this nonsense before. I believe it includes their constituents too. Also if I remember correctly it also contributes things like merch for football teams.
Cut the government spending by 80%. Fire all the dead weight and then lower everyone's taxes then. Churches are except just like every other nonprofit org that exists in service of the people. The federal government is the cancer.
Yea get rid of border patrol agents, meat inspectors, air traffic controllers, national park workers, the passport office to name a few. Brilliant fkn plan.
"People of faith" are not churches. People of faith can still donate if they actually want to help rather than redirect taxes owed. There are lots of charities that are not religious institutions if they do want to redirect them.
It's time to take a closer look at the tax-exempt status of churches. If they're going to play politics, they should pay taxes like everyone else. #TaxTheChurches #SeparationOfChurchAndState
I struggle to get behind the motion of taxing churches because I remember the quote from one of the founding fathers stating that the power to tax was the power to destroy.
At least churches with a certain level of assets; the small community churches, synagogues, temples that barely collect enough to cover their expenses should still be exempt, in my opinion
Tax the religious organizations who make tons of money. Especially when they are political partisans, pushing their flock to vote how they want them too
They 💯 should be taxed. If they can get by with the crap they pull, maybe the rest of us should re-brand & call our businesses "churches" & stop paying taxes.
How many people are fed and housed by churches? Some churches, definitely less than 1 in 10 offer occasional free meals, very few provide housing. In Illinois Catholic Charities provide great variety of services but they do this using government funding.
Churches are often connected to homeless shelters. They provide networks and resources to them. While there aren't a ton who provide housing, that is because a lot of churches are in rural or suburban areas where the perceived needs don't generally include a need for housing. 1/2
Some churches are.
For example right now we are visiting a town of Griffith Indiana, there over a dozen churches here and not a single shelter. Most towns that I can pick will have the same story.
That is not unusual in towns. Homelessness is generally considered a city issue, not a small town issue
Griffith does have at least one food pantry. The first church I looked up, Griffith Christian Church, I called and asked. They have a food pantry every Sunday. I doubt they are the only one
I used to sing in the church choir but it was never a comfortable place.
The Reverand was a stern man who scared th the shit out of us.
Definitely tax the church.
Kenneth Copeland net worth $300 million, Joel Osteen net worth $100 million and Benny Hinn net worth $70 million. Absolute grifters leeching off vulnerable people who can least afford it.
I don’t have a problem with tax exempting what a church can prove it spends on actual charity, but the rest is all profit and should be taxed like any other business.
NO. Increase the penalties for interfering in state interests. Taxing them is including them. They don't deserve a say in how we are governed. Religion has no place in government, period.
"If God is as powerful as He claims, then He doesn’t need us because He created us. As His creation, human beings invented money. Therefore, God surpasses the man-made concept of money and has no need for it; only mankind does.
If God wants everything to be justified in determining who goes to heaven or hell, it would make logical sense for God to agree to be taxed like everyone else. After all, God has no need for material possessions or worldly obsessions.
Maybe they could continue to exempt churches with a small congregation and/or revenue. I could see making ALL churches pay taxes forcing a lot of the smaller home-grown churches to close their doors. But the mega churches certainly should be paying taxes, IMHO.
Maybe tax mega churches or churches that don't help their local communities. I've seen many churches provide help to those who would not be helped through taxes.
I agree that religious institutions should pay income taxes at the same rate as working people, the rate should be 0% for all. Also, the numbers here are hilariously wrong. The US budget is over 4 trillion, 71B would hardly made a dent. Government has a spending problem, not an income problem.
Religion should be 100% free from manmade taxable institutions, but to what end do those organizations who influence their flocks who in turn influence political discourse and structure? The contradiction of separation is muddled.
Look at all of this. Someone paid for all of that & it’s a lot of money. No 1 pays that much in exchange of nothing. one dollar church contributions by the faithful are enough to sustain this stuff. We’re talking top dollar here. And those who pay it expect something in return.
Trump is the new monarch sent by God. It’s why his Bibles are worth more than just an average Bible. He is godly despite his sexual proclivities, economically oppressive regime, And unconditional support for an apartheid state. It’s all holy.
The tyrannical economically oppressive sexually perverted monarch helps the church afford Michelangelos’s artwork and gives them land to lease to the farmers. Now the farmers start believing in the church because they have land and have nice artwork. The church will then brainwash the masses.
They brainwash the faithful into thinking that the ruler is holy, and that their poverty is a test and a virtue. This has been the case since the Dawn of civilization. And still the case today. Nothing has changed.
Churches/religion in general r actually a business. They should b taxed. They take money from billionaires, & in exchange, they offer mind control for the impoverished masses to vote for the economically oppressive ruler. This is how two illegitimate authorities end up legitimizing each other.
Maybe the mega churches but they are an exception. Most churches are small and have very limited resources. Many close their doors for good because their congregation shrank and they cannot afford to keep their church. BTW: This is the same post that was constantly shared on Twitter.
And yet they want The Ten Commandments posted in every public school classroom. Until they pay taxes, they shouldn’t even have a seat at the table when it comes to publicly funded municipalities. It’s unconstitutional.
That infuriates me every time I think about it! Especially now that kids will be indoctrinated in public schools. They should lose the status if involved in politics at all!
Nationwide, researchers estimate religion contributes hundreds of billions of dollars to the U.S. economy. In fact, between churches and charities, religious colleges and universities, and so on, people of faith may provide as much as $1.2 trillion to America.
Does anyone voluntarily pay taxes? No. We do it because it’s mandated. And yes both documented and undocumented immigrants pay income (Google ITIN), property, and sales tax.
And they will continue to contribute even if they are paying their fair share of taxes. When pastors make more than corporate CEO’s and they have personal jets and mansions then they ARE for profit and should be taxed accordingly.
I’m extremely skeptical on your claim.
We would be better off if we taxed the churches and taxpayers only paid 3%. Taxpayers would have extra cash of their own to pump into the economy.
Fine, let them deduct what they spend on charity and tax the rest.
Today it is a business, and they have no problems getting political either.
Tax them.
Absolutely. Especially since they seem to run like our biggest corporations, their CEO's live ostentatious lives, they want to impact our political systems, and they are the nations biggest con artists, next to trump.
So my church will take my after tax dollars, govt will tax as income for the church? We pay the pastor and his pay is already taxed. We will have less for food bank, drug abuse rehab, and youth programs. We will give the money to a less efficient government and pay people not church volunteers.🤔
It has to be a mega church, though. Don't tax the First Presbyterian Church in a town of 500 cuz they are barely keeping the lights on, but tax these mega churches
Not a fan of churches in general but I don’t fully agree with this. Some do help their community and are accepting of all. It’s just the ones full of hate that need to go.
This post is a form of racism against marginalized groups and minorities who in many cases rely on their churches for resources. Especially hard times, like natural disasters.
We should all receive UBI from the government, and the more marginalized, the higher the payments.
As a black trans woman, I'm the most equal of all the groups. My transition costed a lot, and it's not fair that I have to have such a financial setback just to express my true gender.
Some taxes are necessary for a society to exist. Although I would appreciate some influence in what they’re spent on. Problem is the only way to influence anything is through representatives and mine keep telling me that they’ll do whatever they want because they know what’s best.
Some of us are really trying. My church has a food pantry, clothing closet, hosts PFLAG & AA, provides food for alternative high school students Wednesdays and also holiday breaks, pays utility bills for neighbors, and more. Not all churches are Christian nationalists.
I think any church that ventures into the public arena (in any way) needs to be taxed. Use the pulpit to “teach” the way you want them to vote, not to TELL them what to vote. No political ads in bulletins. No political messages on the word boards. No outward supporting of candidates.
Endorsement of a candidate is technically not allowed now (needs enforcement), but endorsement of a policy IS allowed. Churches can even spend up to 10% of its activity trying to influence public policy. Curious about your thoughts on that? I personally like letter campaigns for policy.
...What does this say to children in these classrooms who are not Christian? Hindus, Buddhists, Wicca, Muslim, etc? This policy is just cover for the real design: White Christian Nationalism, and the "Christian American Thesis" - all of which are a lie; https://resistanceradio.substack.com/p/dear-maga-7
I think any attempt by churches to influence the government should be banned. They are putting bibles in classrooms now where I live, and tying money to use of it in the curriculum, to "encourage morals, and understanding of historical importance of Christianity." There are 4000+ religions!...
When I went to church in the 1970s-early 80s - there was no mention of politics. Sermons were about your personal relationship to God and living a decent life, trying to emulate what Jesus would do. I left the church, but today my Mom tells me they split into two camps - one of which is politicized.
I misspoke-not “public” but “political”. IMO, no religious house should be tax exempt if it wishes to be politically active. That includes word boards, bulletins, donations. Just like myself, choices need to be made. Every choice I make has consequences.
Individual churches do good and are always struggling for what they need while their good people offer their time and efforts at a grassroots level. 'The church' however seems to have an endless pile of wealth and influence. Reflecting general life really.
I totally agree....especially when they try to tell their parishioners how to vote or they will go to Hell. That church never got another dime from me.
I doubt it will happen, but taxing all churches would put the ones that serve Black and other economically disadvantaged communities out of business. Of course, most calling for taxing “the church” don’t go to Black churches nor live in Black communities. They only count one side of the ledger.
It’s posts like this that make me worry that BlueSky and X are two sides of the same coin, especially when it comes to Black communities. First, the church in the pic is the furthest thing from a typical church, which operates its ministries (that cost money to deliver) at break even, at best.
As a reminder, the reason why the churches are tax exempt is because they are supposed to be feeding the poor and helping the sick. I haven’t been seeing very much of either lately!
They used to help keep people in line and distracted maybe that’s why the kings supported them. Now that they have helped elect our king they will continue to prosper.
Many churches do pay some - payroll taxes for instance. Most pastors are underpaid and pay 25-30% in taxes. Honestly I bet the big mega churches would still get out of paying taxes, and tiny churches doing good work may go under. How about we tax the mega rich instead?
Part 2-BUT, I've spent my 37 years of ministry as a pastor in small churches, and I'm here to say: to tax the small congregations would shut them down...PERIOD! Then, who would "feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the lonely, and give a cup of cool water to the thirsty"?
As a seminary trained (M.Div.) and ordained, recently and reluctantly retired minister, I understand the sentiment here, especially when considering the mega/maga churches around the country.
The fact that they remain tax exempt yet, have so much political sway, is actually insane. And if the churches ever switched gears from maga… well then… just wait and see how fast Congress would vote against their tax exemption!
Mainline churches and Black Protestant Churches generally aren't MAGA. I doubt Pastor and Congressman Rafael Warnock would appreciate the suggestion we should tax his very much not maga church.
That may well be, but neither Republicans nor Democrats are going to actually go after churches that directly or not-so-subtly indirectly support politics, because both parties benefit from political activism in churches, just depends on the denomination and traditions of the church.
Religions are profitable. Just look at the evangelicals who live on hundred million dollar estates and do nothing for the needy. Religion, like politics, can also be a scam for power and wealth!
When I was in Bible College our professors warned us we could make a lot of money, if we were willing to sell our soul to do it. Sadly some take it as a guideline instead of a warning.
Thankfully most ministers do not do this. A number of us have to work second jobs to pay the bills, and...
But if we taxed the churches, they wouldn't be able to have victims sign NDAs of the serial abuse that occurred in those churches by those priests/pastors.
The $71 Billion figure is correct. However, the 3% tax rate is wishful thinking. The IRS collected over $5.1 TRILLION last year. $71B is roughly 1.39% of that revenue. Unless the tax laws were revised, taxing churches won’t change anybody’s tax rate
Comments
What do you mean by "nothing to show for it"?
It means a great deal in the lives of many people, bringing comfort & strength in hard times. That isn't "nothing". It is very much something.
I don't even understand what you think they SHOULD have to show for it...?
and then do the math and think about how much money youre indirectly paying to support churches, out of your taxes. and people complain netflix is too expensive? 😆
. Religious texts in schools
. Biblical intervention in science
. Hate against LGBTQ+
. Pedophilia
. The 1% and higher
Unfortunately this system effectively shifts the tax burden to others, depriving public services of necessary funds.
Especially the ones that preach politics.
Prison sentences would be more effective in curbing rogue christos. Submit claims to IRS the regulatory agency, not just tax collectors). A simple form.
https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2021/sep/28/viral-image/taxing-churches-would-not-add-enough-revenue-lower/
Yeah, sure, it's much easier to buy stuff, if you never paid taxes on that income.
How would taxing churches change how much they people give?
And some of that church work goes towards spreading intolerance, racism and misogyny. But I guess that's OK if a christian religion is doing it, right?
"God and My Right": the ongoing deal between Power and Religion.
What 80% are you cutting? Probably not the military. Which usually accounts for 15%? If so, shouldn’t the government run on 5%?
You going to take the money our elders rely on?
For example right now we are visiting a town of Griffith Indiana, there over a dozen churches here and not a single shelter. Most towns that I can pick will have the same story.
Griffith does have at least one food pantry. The first church I looked up, Griffith Christian Church, I called and asked. They have a food pantry every Sunday. I doubt they are the only one
Nonetheless, politically active churches should have their tax exempt status denied.
They can have their free speech but the country doesn’t owe them exemption from federal taxes.
The Reverand was a stern man who scared th the shit out of us.
Definitely tax the church.
Second - No way will an extra 82 billion drop everyone into a 3% tax bracket.
Then they can pay takes. There is no representation without taxation.
They are and have been involved in politics
Women? Women own nearly 10 million businesses in the USA, generating $1.4 trillion in receipts. Using your rational, they should be tax free too.
We would be better off if we taxed the churches and taxpayers only paid 3%. Taxpayers would have extra cash of their own to pump into the economy.
Today it is a business, and they have no problems getting political either.
Tax them.
tax them out of existence
their poison has already gotten into the wells in rural america long enough
The United States’ annual budget is roughly $6.75 trillion.
As a black trans woman, I'm the most equal of all the groups. My transition costed a lot, and it's not fair that I have to have such a financial setback just to express my true gender.
The Christians live a very pious life here 🤣
https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2021/sep/28/viral-image/taxing-churches-would-not-add-enough-revenue-lower/
I was like I pass this disgusting thing pretty often🤣
Yes, churches have favorable rules in European countries as well, but they had to give up significant property in return.
In the US they mostly weren‘t the land owners, were they?
A church spending their money on charity won‘t have to pay any.
- George Carlin
Religion is the biggest money grab
Why don’t you ever see the preacher or pastors living in your neighborhoods??
This is a pandora..
You really want to go down this path?
Thankfully most ministers do not do this. A number of us have to work second jobs to pay the bills, and...
The $71 Billion figure is correct. However, the 3% tax rate is wishful thinking. The IRS collected over $5.1 TRILLION last year. $71B is roughly 1.39% of that revenue. Unless the tax laws were revised, taxing churches won’t change anybody’s tax rate