Tax breaks for religious institutions equal $71 billion annually in U.S.

by Ben Reilly Thu Dec 04, 2014 6:50 am

While some people may be bothered by the fact that there are pastors who live in multimillion dollar homes, this is old news to most. But here is what should bother you about these expensive homes: You are helping to pay for them! You pay for them indirectly, the same way local, state, and federal governments in the United States subsidize religion — to the tune of about $71 billion every year.

Not only that -- many religious groups get public funding as well: https://www.aclu.org/religion-belief/government-funded-religion

So much for all that "Christians don't want to control the government" nonsense.

Sorry to recycle a meme, but ...

Tax breaks for religious institutions equal $71 billion annually in U.S. 56787994

Tax breaks for religious institutions equal $71 billion annually in U.S. 56787994

by Independent Thoughts Fri Dec 12, 2014 4:01 am

I think it would be fair to change the perspective of your narrative:

It's not the religion that is corrupt. It's the people that turn religion into an self-aggrandizing entrepreneurial enterprise that are corrupt.

by veya_victaous Fri Dec 12, 2014 4:12 am

IndependentThoughts wrote:I think it would be fair to change the perspective of your narrative:

It's not the religion that is corrupt. It's the people that turn religion into an self-aggrandizing entrepreneurial enterprise that are corrupt.

that would be every religious institution since Hathor (a good 3000 years before Jesus)

Spiritual people are fine, but no spiritual person will suggest that going to a building, giving someone organisation money or giving lip service to a book of lesson you haven't read will in anyway improve your Soul.

Anyone suggesting they talk to God or know anything about 'the divine will' is a charlatan simple as that, If it were true they woudl already know that it is completely impossible to purvey such notions with a mortal tongue even if they were spoken too they would be aware that they would not be able to repeat it.

by Ben Reilly Fri Dec 12, 2014 6:58 am

IndependentThoughts wrote:I think it would be fair to change the perspective of your narrative:

It's not the religion that is corrupt. It's the people that turn religion into an self-aggrandizing entrepreneurial enterprise that are corrupt.

I wasn't arguing religion itself is corrupt. I support everyone's right to believe in anything from God to the FSM as long as they don't act like a-holes.

But, every Really Big Thing from religion to business to government is going to create niches where people exploit them for personal gain at the expense of others, who become victims of it.

My narrative is the hypocrisy of Christian Right types who claim we're better than other fundamentalist societies because we have some (apparently mythical) non-theocracy.

by Raggamuffin Fri Dec 12, 2014 2:00 pm

It's fairly offensive to imply that Christians are the same as Muslim extremists.

Just saying.

by Original Quill Fri Dec 12, 2014 5:59 pm

Raggamuffin wrote:It's fairly offensive to imply that Christians are the same as Muslim extremists.

Just saying.

That doesn't make any sense, Raggs. Christian extremists are the same as Muslim extremists.

by Ben Reilly Fri Dec 12, 2014 6:28 pm

Raggamuffin wrote:It's fairly offensive to imply that Christians are the same as Muslim extremists.

Just saying.

I guess I can see where you'd say that, but I didn't imply that -- I implied that just as Islam has fundamentalists and moderates, so does Christianity.

Unless you think that their mutually shared desire to execute gay people somehow makes one fundamentalist but not the other ...

by Raggamuffin Fri Dec 12, 2014 6:58 pm

Original Quill wrote:
Raggamuffin wrote:It's fairly offensive to imply that Christians are the same as Muslim extremists.

Just saying.

That doesn't make any sense, Raggs. Christian extremists are the same as Muslim extremists.

It doesn't say Christian extremists though, it just says Christians.

by Raggamuffin Fri Dec 12, 2014 6:59 pm

Ben_Reilly wrote:
Raggamuffin wrote:It's fairly offensive to imply that Christians are the same as Muslim extremists.

Just saying.

I guess I can see where you'd say that, but I didn't imply that -- I implied that just as Islam has fundamentalists and moderates, so does Christianity.

Unless you think that their mutually shared desire to execute gay people somehow makes one fundamentalist but not the other ...

Well then it should say "Christian extremists", not just "Christians".

by Ben Reilly Fri Dec 12, 2014 10:50 pm

Raggamuffin wrote:
Ben_Reilly wrote:
Raggamuffin wrote:It's fairly offensive to imply that Christians are the same as Muslim extremists.

Just saying.

I guess I can see where you'd say that, but I didn't imply that -- I implied that just as Islam has fundamentalists and moderates, so does Christianity.

Unless you think that their mutually shared desire to execute gay people somehow makes one fundamentalist but not the other ...

Well then it should say "Christian extremists", not just "Christians".

It wouldn't be accurate to just say "Christian extremists" -- the push to erode the separation between church and state in the U.S. is mainstream Christian, not extremist. Check out the Republican part of this YouGov poll from two years ago and remember, they tend to be the party of Christianity in the U.S.:

Tax breaks for religious institutions equal $71 billion annually in U.S. Churstate_pid

Tax breaks for religious institutions equal $71 billion annually in U.S. Churstate_pid

by Raggamuffin Tue Dec 16, 2014 10:16 am

Ben_Reilly wrote:
Raggamuffin wrote:

Well then it should say "Christian extremists", not just "Christians".

It wouldn't be accurate to just say "Christian extremists" -- the push to erode the separation between church and state in the U.S. is mainstream Christian, not extremist. Check out the Republican part of this YouGov poll from two years ago and remember, they tend to be the party of Christianity in the U.S.:

Oh, you mean US Christians. Did you know that there are Christians in other countries too?

I guess it depends on your definition of "extremist" really.

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Tax breaks for religious institutions equal $71 billion annually in U.S.

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Re: Tax breaks for religious institutions equal $71 billion annually in U.S.

Re: Tax breaks for religious institutions equal $71 billion annually in U.S.

Re: Tax breaks for religious institutions equal $71 billion annually in U.S.

Re: Tax breaks for religious institutions equal $71 billion annually in U.S.

Re: Tax breaks for religious institutions equal $71 billion annually in U.S.