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Should tax exempt status be given to a church where they worship dead pigs?

Should tax exempt status be given to a church where they worship dead pigs?

  • Total voters
    14
Luna Tick

Luna Tick

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Okay, so some weirdo founds a religion whose premise is to get to heaven you need to regularly worship a dead pig. They regularly butcher a pig and cook it rotisserie style over an open flame with an apple in its mouth while the members bow down and worship it. Then afterwards, in elaborate robes, they take turns eating pieces of meat from it.

Should they have tax exempt status just like any other religion?
 
Worshiping a dead pig?

Actually, huge numbers of Americans will be doing that on Feb 3, won't they?
 
A tax exemption for the First United Church of Bacon?

OK with me!:lol:

Seriously though, this sounds a lot more like a restaurant than it does a church. If there is a requirement to donate in order to partake in the ceremony then it's non-profit status should be yanked.
 
Lutherf said:
A tax exemption for the First United Church of Bacon?

OK with me!:lol:

Seriously though, this sounds a lot more like a restaurant than it does a church. If there is a requirement to donate in order to partake in the ceremony then it's non-profit status should be yanked.
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I was going to go with The Church of the Holy Ham, but that works for me too.
 
Luna Tick said:
Okay, so some weirdo founds a religion whose premise is to get to heaven you need to regularly worship a dead pig. They regularly butcher a pig and cook it rotisserie style over an open flame with an apple in its mouth while the members bow down and worship it. Then afterwards, in elaborate robes, they take turns eating pieces of meat from it.

Should they have tax exempt status just like any other religion?
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I don't believe any religious organization should have tax exempt status. If you're going to make that the rule though, yes they should have it. Just as the church of the real god, the flying spaghetti monster should.

Just because it's ridiculous to you doesn't mean they shouldn't be equal. Hell, I don't see christianity as any better than worshiping pigs.
 
I was thinking of starting the Church of Tax Avoidance. Each member donates their entire salary to the church, as well as deed to their home. In return the church gives them all of their money, less the mortgage payment (PITI), back to them. Since the church owns the property, it is no longer taxed, income taxation is reduced by the maximum allowed charitable deduction. ;)

Charity Donations are Tax Deductible
 
RabidAlpaca said:
I don't believe any religious organization should have tax exempt status. If you're going to make that the rule though, yes they should have it. Just as the church of the real god, the flying spaghetti monster should.

Just because it's ridiculous to you doesn't mean they shouldn't be equal. Hell, I don't see christianity as any better than worshiping pigs.
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I belong to the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster!
 
ttwtt78640 said:
I was thinking of starting the Church of Tax Avoidance. Each member donates their entire salary to the church, as well as deed to their home. In return the church gives them all of their money, less the mortgage payment (PITI), back to them. Since the church owns the property, it is no longer taxed, income taxation is reduced by the maximum allowed charitable deduction. ;)

Charity Donations are Tax Deductible
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They would have to really, really trust you or you could run off with everything they own.
 
I don't think any church should be tax exempt (unless it gives at least 90% of its donations to charity), so no.
 
Of course they should - based on our current laws and policies.

We have decided that taxing a church or religion is unconstitutional. So, there are thousands, or even millions, of fake Churches and even the "real" ones have story-lines that are no more or less ridiculous than The Church Of The Holy Oink. The most popular religion in America claims that a Jewish virgin gave birth to God's son so he could die for other peoples sins. I mean, c'mon, is that any more absurd than worshiping a pig? How about that Burning Bush? How about those 72 Virgins?

I don't think there should even be any "non-profit" organizations of any kind. Most of them are just tax avoidance scams. But what's good for one must be good for all.



Luna Tick said:
Okay, so some weirdo founds a religion whose premise is to get to heaven you need to regularly worship a dead pig. They regularly butcher a pig and cook it rotisserie style over an open flame with an apple in its mouth while the members bow down and worship it. Then afterwards, in elaborate robes, they take turns eating pieces of meat from it.

Should they have tax exempt status just like any other religion?
Click to expand...
 
Luna Tick said:
They would have to really, really trust you or you could run off with everything they own.
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True, but with at least half of your salary tax free and no rent to pay you could amass quite a tidy fortune. You would basically own nothing taxable and select very trustworthy church leaders (members), perhaps having the church set up as a partnership jointly owned by all of its members, requiring a majority to agree to any property sales. Hallelujah! Praise the IRS!
 
Luna Tick said:
Okay, so some weirdo founds a religion whose premise is to get to heaven you need to regularly worship a dead pig. They regularly butcher a pig and cook it rotisserie style over an open flame with an apple in its mouth while the members bow down and worship it. Then afterwards, in elaborate robes, they take turns eating pieces of meat from it.

Should they have tax exempt status just like any other religion?
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Why are you asking if the food channel should be tax exempt? If anything, it should be taxed double
 
Voltaire X said:
No church should be given tax exempt status.
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I agree with you. I would favor requiring them to pay the same taxes as everyone else. In other words, they would not be singled out to be taxed to death. They would just have to pay just like any business. I can guarantee you if we tried to make this change, there would be screaming, portraying it as a "war on religion," which it's not, of course.

Even if we didn't tax churches, we should tax religious businesses. For example, if a church owns and runs a bookstore, that bookstore should have to collect the same sales tax that any bookstore does and pay whatever other taxes a normal bookstore would, but the church itself (the building, the pews, the Holy Communion wafers, etc.) would not be taxed.
 
molten_dragon said:
I don't think any church should have tax exempt status.
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I think they should as long as they do charitable works.

That's why I would tend to question the tax exempt status of a church like the Westboro Baptists. Got to wonder what "charitable" works they do.
 
ChrisL said:
I think they should as long as they do charitable works.

That's why I would tend to question the tax exempt status of a church like the Westboro Baptists. Got to wonder what "charitable" works they do.
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I'm fine with them getting tax deductions for any money they use for charity, just like anyone else does.
 
molten_dragon said:
I'm fine with them getting tax deductions for any money they use for charity, just like anyone else does.
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But they are a nonprofit organization.
 
Luna Tick said:
Okay, ... Should they have tax exempt status just like any other religion?
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Yes, no religion should have tax exempt status.
(Oh poo! Your poll doesn't have a clear choice for those like me.)
 
Talk about coming in the backdoor to find a way to create another of the endless atheist and homosexual platforms to invite ridicule of religion.

Why do the terminally unhappy atheists and homosexuals hate others that have faith so much, is it jealousy or envy because they know that they are lacking the happiness others find in faith?
 
If it's a NPO than why shouldn't it?

People who claim they ain't hip to religion always seem to be awfully hung up on it...
 
Ray410 said:
Talk about coming in the backdoor to find a way to create another of the endless atheist and homosexual platforms to invite ridicule of religion.

Why do the terminally unhappy atheists and homosexuals hate others that have faith so much, is it jealousy or envy because they know that they are lacking the happiness others find in faith?
Click to expand...

You appear to have read another thread. Either that or you decided to make a post that is as off topic as it could possibly be. The topic is about the possible taxation of churches.
 
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