You say nothing like the IRS scandal has happened in the US before?
Wrong. It's already happened.
In 2012, two women filed a law suit in New Jersey court because a Methodist Church prevented their SS civil union ceremony from being performed in a pavilion owned by said NJ Methodist Church. The pavilion had been rented out only for marriages because
it's a religious structure of that NJ Methodist Church, and SS civil unions are not recognized according to the United Methodist Church Book of Disipline.
Due to the NJ Methodist Church's refusal to rent the pavilion for SS union, New Jersey punished the NJ Methodist Church, and revoked its tax free status in NJ.
Link to support this claim?
Here is what really happened...
1. It wasn't a Church, here is a list of Methodist Churches in the United States, the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association is not on it -->>
Methodist Church Directory.
2. If it were a Church, then Church property would have already been exempt from property taxes as are the grounds of other Churches. However they were not, the OGCMA facilities were not receiving the religious exemptions for property taxes, which is why the applied for a special exemption under the New Jersey Green Acres Program.
3. As part of that program they agreed to make the pavilion open to the public, they reneged on their word and so the Special Tax Exemption for public places was withdrawn.
4. In addition to the initial application, this community group had to periodically re-certify their application and so they repeatedly said the Pavilion would be open to the public for the property tax exemption.
From the recent ruling:
"The relevant facts for purposes of the cross-motions are substantially undisputed." In other words the OGCMA agreed and did not dispute the facts as presented regarding the denial of services to members of the public nor what they agreed to under the Green Acres Program.
"At the time of denial in March 2007, the Pavilion was used primarily as a venue for religious programming,
but respondent also hosted community and charitable events and rented the space for weddings." The respondents acknowledged that the pavilion was used for events other than religious services.
"This was the first time in anyone’s memory that a denial was based on a reason other than availability." In the 18-years that the OGCMA had received the special exemption under the Green Acres Program, no one remembered an application for use ever being denied unless the pavilion was already booked.
"In July 1989 respondent applied for a Green Acres real-estate tax exemption for Lot 1, Block 1.01, which includes the Pavilion and the adjacent boardwalk and beach area. The application describes the area as public in nature. The Green Acres program is designed to preserve open space and the statutory scheme authorizes a tax exemption for non-profit corporations utilizing property for conservation or recreational purposes. One condition of the exemption is that the property be “open for public use on an equal basis,” N.J.S.A. 54:4-3.66; N.J.A.C. 7:35-1.4(a)(2)." Green Acres Program = Open for Public Use. Deny the public use of the facility when it would be otherwise available is a violation of the participation requirements of the program.
"Neptune Township, the municipality within which respondent is located, opposed the application on grounds that respondent is governed by religious restrictions that make equal-access doubtful. At a public hearing conducted by the Department of Environmental Protection in September 1989, respondent represented that the Pavilion was available for public use without reservation." The township pointed out that future use by the public might conflict with religious poilicies, the OGCMA said (to paraphrase), nope - the public will have access without reservation. They then reapplied for the same special exemption every 3-years for the next 15-years. New Jersey implemented legal recognition for Same-sex Civil Unions in 2003. Let's see, renewal of the program applications would have occured in 1992, 1995, 1998, 2001, 2004 - so
AFTER Civil Unions were made legal in 2003, they still applied for the exemption in 2004 instead of letting it lapse so they could be more selective on public utilization.
"Respondent argues that it didn’t need a Green Acres tax exemption for the Pavilion; it could at any time have obtained the same benefit by applying for a tax exemption as a religious organization. Indeed, after these events that is exactly what it did. We are, however, bound by the facts that were, not those that might have been, or that came to pass in the aftermath of petitioners’ application." As the Judge points out. What matters in the case are the conditions applicable to 2007. It's not the Judges fault the OGCMA applied for the wrong exemption. The fact remains that as long as they applied for the Green Acres Program exemption, they were bound by it's rules. Don't want to play by those rules, apply for a different exemption (which is what they did after the fact).
http://www.adfmedia.org/files/OGCMA-BernsteinRuling.pdf?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
Here's an example from Boston, Massachusetts in 2006. Boston Catholic Services ran an adoption agency placing children with families. The Catholic Church announced, rather than submitting to Massachusetts' law requiring the agency place children with SSM couples, that Boston Catholic Services would be closed down because a current 2003 Vatican document described SSM adoptions as gravely 'immoral'.
Not factually accurate. Catholic Charities was not required by law to place adoptive children with same-sex couples, the Bishops of Massachusetts CHOOSE to get out of providing the service under government contract. If they wanted to provide private services they are free to do so.
Catholic Charities of Boston could have continued to provide adoption services as a private agency. During the time in question Catholic Charities operated under a state contract taking in approximately $1,000,000 for it's adoption program from the taxpayers (Source:
Catholic News Service 3/13/2006).
Catholic Charities still operates in other parts of Massachusetts.
Catholic Charities providing adoption...
Massachusetts Adoption Agencies, Professionals, Services, Centers in
Massachusetts Adoption Directory
Catholic Charities Center of the Old Colony Area
686 N. Main Street
Brockton, MA 02301
(508) 587-0815
Catholic Charities of Cambridge and Somerville
270 Washington Street
Somerville, MA 02143
(617) 625-1920
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Worcester
10 Hammond Street
Worcester, MA 01610-1513
(508) 798-0191
Fax: (508) 797-5659
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Worcester, Inc.
53 Highland Avenue
Fitchburg, MA 01420
(978) 343-4879
Catholic Social Services of Fall River, Inc.
783 Slade Street, PO Box M South Station
Fall River, MA 02720
(508) 674-4681
Fax: (508) 675-2224
If private agencies can't provide placement on their religious beliefs how come other Catholic Charities in the state can still provide adoption services?
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