Posted by Amanda on January 09, 1997 at 19:30:08:
In Reply to: Re: Madalyn Murray O'Hair Petition (?) posted by Pamela on January 09, 1997 at 12:09:05:
: Speaking of taxpayer funding and insidious encroachments, I was just checking out the American Atheists' web page (http://www.atheists.org/visitors.center/intro.html) and their literature makes the claim that American taxpayers are supporting christianity through tax dollars. AA points out that churches and businesses owned by churches are tax exempt. Also there are no taxes on properties owned by churches, including land (20% of privately owned land is held by churches, according to AA). Therefore, the rest of the taxpayers have to pay more (about $200 per year per person) in order to support this policy. Anyone care to comment on this issue?
The tax exempt status of churches is probably the biggest complaint of groups such as 'freedom from religion' and 'freethinkers: separation of church and state' - If I remember correctly, there has been some headway made to stop this by groups such as those mentioned. I think the more the issue is brought to the public eye (as very few people know facts such as these) - the more likely we will see something being done about it. It's my opinion that churches and all that is affiliated with them should survive on their own. Congregations seem to have no disputes about donating money to their churches or else they can practice tithing again (if they ever stopped). Also, when I take a drive in some of the poor neighbourhoods around here and see beautiful new churches being built amongst the trailer homes - or when I hear about how much profit the 700 Club et al, rakes in - it makes me a bit angry that they continue to be tax exempt. If they can't survive on their own two feet like the rest of us have to do - then it's just the natural course of things (social/business darwinism) that they become extinct.