[extropy-chat] grow closer to god--through the mail!!

Mike Lorrey mlorrey at yahoo.com
Tue Nov 30 16:47:32 UTC 2004


--- Brent Neal <brentn at freeshell.org> wrote:

>  (11/29/04 18:12) Olga Bourlin <fauxever at sprynet.com> wrote:
> 
> >You know, if I were a free-stater/out-and-out-libertarian, why ... I
> would holler to the rafters about how religions (all except for 
> >the atheist religions) are diverting so much in the way of resources
> and sucking off so much in the way of taxes from us poor 
> >working stiffs.  And the discrimination doesn't stop there, as
> atheist serfs have to pay double duty - (1) for not being recognized
> as 
> >a "religion"; and (2) for being taxed to benefit the "legitimate"
> religions.  
> 
> 
> I will point out, for sake of fairness, that religions without
> organizations, such as many Neopagan faiths, do not receive
> recognition from the government.  Most Pagan groups don't even have
> 501(c)(3) status. I'd be willing to bet that Hindu temples in the US
> are in the same boat, though I have no data to speak about that
> authoritatively.

Hindu temples, among other pagan faiths, do receive recognition from
the government. Prisoners have won cases protecting their right to
pagan rituals (with the exception of animal sacrifices). There is even
a form at the IRS/Social Security offices you can fill out to claim
exemption from Payroll taxes for religious reasons.

As much as everyone here likes to pretend to rationalism (in spite of
my proof that atheism is as much a religion as any other), you need to
realize the political power that comes from being religious of any
sort. Religious expression (or non-expression) is so powerful that you
cannot be compelled to testify about anything that is part of your
religous beliefs, you can't be compelled to participate in social
welfare tax programs, among a number of other things.

Furthermore, 501c3 is not the proper tax classification for religious
groups. Many tax professionals have conned their churches into becoming
501c3 organizations, because those professionals are essentially
government agents and don't know or understand that religious
organizations do not operate under tax law, they operate under
ecclesiastical or canon law. A proper religious organization is
organized as a Corporation Sole. When a church converts to 501c3 they
are no longer churches, they are merely non-profit religious groups.

The IRS is trying to attack the use of Corporation Sole, because
governments want to get at the assets of churches. This was the basis
of the whole priest scandals in the last several years, why the
government did so much smearing in the media but essentially could not
force any Bishop into anything unless a church in his diocese where
abuse had occured had been tricked into becoming a 501c3 previously,
which put that parish under government law.

=====
Mike Lorrey
Vice-Chair, 2nd District, Libertarian Party of NH
"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom.
It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves."
                                      -William Pitt (1759-1806) 
Blog: http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=Sadomikeyism


		
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