I'm going against what others might vote, as I think churches should be taxed. Owners of churches bring in thousands of dollars, if not more, and you honestly have no idea where your money is going. They use money for expansion, and some claim they put that money to use in charity, but honestly, there is no proof to say that the money isn't going into the owners own pockets. Yes, they should be taxed. I feel like if they're going to make as much money as they do, there has to be some form of regulation on the money they make. People who give to the church hope and believe that the money is going to a good cause, but you honestly never know. less

^ But that is saying that religious organizations do not have freedom of speech and expression, which is explicitly violating the First Amendment.

I know it isn't taught in schools, because it's this big, dark, scary secret, but if you prevent the religious and their corresponding organizations from having freedom of speech, you have government tyranny just as sure as if you allow only one religious organization to hold sway. If churches did not have freedom of political expression, just as an example, emancipation would not have gained popular steam. It started as a movement in the churches, it gained popularity in churches, and much of the fundraising was done in churches.

Even if they are not pursuing such a noble goal, by muzzling a church, you are saying that non-religious/secular organizations are more deserving of free speech, which denies the free practice of religion. By opening the floodgates of taxing religious non-profit organizations, you are saying that the religious are not equally deserving of rights, protections, considerations, etc., presumably because all other non-profits would continue to operate tax-free. Yes, this allows for loopholes where some churches have abhorrent practices, but it also prevents favoritism, the appearance of favoritism, or special interests from dominating the tax status of various religious organizations. It seems a lot of people are just taking a secular point of view without thinking it all the way through. If PETA, which kills somewhere like 75% of the animals it takes in, provides huge salaries for it's upper echelons, and donates money to eco-terrorists is a tax-free non-profit, why should St. Whosawhatit's, a tiny church that pays a livable wage to it's few employees, and spends most of it's fully voluntary tithes on charities like food pantries, homeless shelters, free daycares for single parents, and sending doctors to Third World countries suddenly be taxed because they believe in God? Unless you want to massively expand the IRS, which can't even properly audit the Federal Government, to audit every non-profit in America and find out if they are being responsible with their money.


And Voir, are you suggesting that all possible opposition to abortion is religious? less

I would say that churches should not be taxed as long as they don't spend money on political advertising. When they began to either lobby or contribute to campaign funds, that money should be taxed heavily. You get freedom of religion, not freedom to be a political entity less