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November 19, 2007

A real political debate! Should religions be tax exempt? (Opinions ?)

I SAY WE TAKE AWAY THE TAX EMEMPT STATUS FROM CHURCH’S FOR THESE REASONS!

“I didn’t write this all, but I share its views….”

Are you a victim?

You may never have purchased a religious product or service. You may never have given a "love gift", sowed a "faith seed", or paid a "tithe". You may never have donated money to a religion, church, or affiliated organization. But you are still a victim of religious commerce. Your world, your society, is directly influenced by the economics of organized religion. And that means you are directly affected.

Organized religion is a vast, global, business empire. It employs people. It owns shops and stores. It sells products. It sells services. It makes profits. It invests in equipment. New buildings. Real estate. The stock market. It has competitors. It competes for market share. It goes on tax-free ‘business trips’ interstate and abroad, to acquire and service new customers. And it engages in advertising and marketing

It is estimated that churches and other religious bodies may own anywhere between twenty and twenty-five percent of all of the land in the United States. The assets of the Roman Catholic Church alone exceed those of the five largest American corporations combined. The Catholic diocese in Los Angeles alone admits to owning more than 50 "non-essential" properties. Cash "donations" to churches total tens of billions of dollars every year.

In most countries, true charities are required to disclose their finances, and provide clear, verifiable proof that money raised for "charity" really has been used to help the poor and needy. In most countries, religions are not. They receive automatic tax-exempt status as "charitable" ... without any requirement to disclose independently audited accounts ... and without any requirement to prove that their function is truly charitable. The Vatican City State is head of the world's largest, wealthiest, most powerful organized religion. It is an independent sovereign state. It does not have to disclose its financial accounts or vast assets to anyone. And it doesn't. Instead, it actually cries poor. They have the affrontery to ask the faithful to give "Peter's Pence", as "financial support" for the Pope. They fail to disclose that the Pope personally receives 85% of the enormous annual profits of the Vatican Bank:

The economy of your country gains little or no benefit from "R-commerce" (religious commerce). That $50 someone spends on a religious product, that $100 sent to a televangelist, that 10% "tithe" of someone's income ... it all adds up to hundreds of billions of dollars, pounds, and euro every year. Where does it all go? To feed the hungry, or shelter and clothe the poor? If we open our eyes, or just consider their own statistics, we see that most of it is used for church assets and expansion. Not true charity. It is spent on more buildings. On larger buildings. On religious broadcasting. On luxurious excesses - mansions, cars, planes, clothes, jewelry - that benefit only the leaders of organized religion. It yields no tax back to your government. No benefit to your country's economy. And no benefit to you.

Tax exemptions for organized religion means your government receives literally billions less in tax revenues. Every dollar, pound, or euro in sales taxes, inheritance taxes, income taxes, personal taxes, fringe benefits taxes, and ad valorem taxes that is not paid by religious organizations, or their tax-exempt leaders, must be made up from some other source. That "other source" is YOU. It is estimated that the average American family may pay up to $1,000 in extra taxes every year, to make up for lost revenue not received from organized religions. What would you do with an extra $1,000 every year?

Tax exemptions for organized religion make you a victim. Your taxes are higher than necessary. Because organized religions do not share your burden. The leaders of organized religion enjoy their vast income, and profits, and luxurious lifestyle fringe benefits ... tax-free. Meanwhile, it is everyone else's taxes ... your taxes ... that pay to run your country, to feed and clothe the poor.

Every soul on earth is a victim of religious economics. Either directly. Or indirectly. Organized religions have great power to affect human lives. History shows, it is almost always for the worse. Their power comes not from God, Allah, Jesus Christ, or the Mahdi. Their power comes from one thing. The lifeblood of all organized religions. A vast money supply. Join us as we take away their money supply. And with it, their power. So are we victim of a Religious economy, or is very thing ok with the way it is? Opinions please!

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