Friday, 4 September 2009
Remove this cult's tax exempt status!
Just listen to the screams from certain quarters when religious organizations are perceived as meddling in the political arena. So why is the Flurry cult getting a free ride? Why are donations to PCG, which fund this blatant play on political partisanship, tax exempt?
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21 comments:
Umm..I don't like Flurry at all but the fuss about churches mixing in politics has more to do with leaders campaigning on behalf of candidates and influencing the votes of their sheeple.
Flurry is probably something of equal opportunist when it comes to using government leaders to platform his horrible worldviews. (Granted the Armstrongists traditionally tend to cut the Republican parties a little more slack). He can't be accused of trying to influence his followers to vote for a particular party if they don't vote. (Or has that changed, sorry I don't follow his group that closely for fear that the ick will rub off)
Black churches have been little more than PACs for decades. Why the double standard when it comes to Flurry's organiaztion?
Gavin asks:
"Why are donations to PCG, which fund this blatant play on political partisanship, tax exempt?"
Because America has a long legal tradition of giving religion a free pass in many different areas, tax-exempt status being just one of many. And so bozo's like Flurry and Weinland just hop on and take advantage of the free ride.
I recall a rather eccentric black televangelist from the '70's named Reverend Ike. "The Bible is not a book of theology - it's a book of psychology!" he used to proclaim.
But the good Reverend did promote at least one sound idea: churches in the United States ought to have their tax-exempt status permanently revoked. That way they’d have to compete with other churches in the free market of ideas, and so most of the more worthless ones (like many of the COG’s) would eventually go extinct without the special assistance of tax breaks from the government, which basically is the only reason many of them still survive financially.
Short but accurate answer.
Almost all churches fall into one of three categories:
A) Social Clubs
B) Political Organizations
C) Last Bastions of the Lunatic Fringe.
The days of seeking sanctuary in a church or having that church support a community are over. They are a closed loop.
I say take away all of their tax-except statuses.
All "churches" are getting a free ride.
Some churches do charity work but they make sure their name is attached to all they do. Good advertising, you know.
Most churches don't do any charity work at all but they do make some donations to organizations that do. Of course these donations are collected from church members over and above their regular tithes and offerings.
Mostly churches are intent on building bigger and better buildings and putting out tons of propaganda of all forms.
Those things are expensive, so the rest of us shouldn't complain if they are tax exempt and we end up paying more taxes so that they don't have to pay any. Right?
Or, should we?
If churches are going to dictate to the government of the people about what laws to pass and tell their congregations who and what to vote for in our "fair" elections . . . maybe the rest of us could do something about it.
That is, we could if we weren't too lazy to write our representatives in government about it.
Reverend Ike! I used to watch him sometimes just to marvel at his audacity. He would have the folks in the audience stand up, turn to their neighbor and then all say in unison, "The power of money in me blesses the power of money in you!" His services were all about how wonderful it is to have money and how to get. "Name it and claim it" was a big deal, along with sending God some "seed money" via the good Reverend, of course.
I think the black preacher character as played by Richard Pryor in the movie "Car Wash" was based on Reverend Ike.
The hell with Flurry, this is labor day weekend!
Spend your weekend contemplating the meaning of life with my live feed of "Burning Man."
Take your clothes off, drink some beer and watch another type of "freak show" similar to a COG info-commercial but without spending 30% of your paycheck!
Click on my name above to enter the Kingdom!
I've heard that in most countries other than the U.S., churches pay taxes the same as anyone else. Can anyone confirm that this is true.
In my opinion, churches should not be tax-free. They're businesses.
The Skeptic
I think because of the very strong connection alot of people have to the church they belong to, it is not unreasonable to require a high degree of accountability in the form of detailed financial statements requirements that these statements be made easily available to the membership. Tax exempt status should be revoked if this isn't done or if the statements are fraudulant.
I also think that a religious group that is clearly involved in politics should have their tax exempt status revoked.
Is that a Guy Fawkes mask on your bedside table Gavin, or are you just mad as hell and not going to take it anymore? ;-)
Seriously, though, someone definitely needs to point 4chan at Flurry. EPIC WIN my friends EPIC WIN.
Very sneaky, that little runt Gerald. Have an Internet ad campaign. Once he has snared some victims over the Internet, he then forbids them to use the Internet anymore. That way, the Internet that was their downfall cannot also be used to enlighten and save them later.
In one sense, Gerald is right: danger and evil do lurk on the Internet. They come in the form of the PCG.
Gerald should give himself a shake, and forget about shaking the nations. But, I suppose there had to be such false prophets to fulfil the prophecy that their would be many false prophets.
Still, it is shocking to see grown men telling such fibs. The fact that Gerald did not grow up to be very tall at all or much of a man at all does not make it any less shocking.
"The days of seeking sanctuary in a church or having that church support a community are over. "
because government welfare payments have taken over, and there is no requirement to change one's behaviour when government makes the payments, therefore welfare is preferred to Church assistance.
Churches offered genuine help, not just money.
"Churches offered genuine help, not just money."
Clearly you never applied for, and were consistently refused, third tithe money, Anon 4:27. And what kind of help were destitute members offered in the church? "Counseling" that blamed the destitute member for not being godly enough, or for having "hidden sin in [their] lives".
If neither one of those excuses worked, well then, it was a "blessing" that the Lord was "testing" you, so you could be a good Old Testament overlord in the Kingdom. A man has to endure at least forty trials in their lifetime before they can have a godly character, after all.
If you weren't "blessed" by any such trials? The ministers of misery would see fit to manufacture some! All the while, the other members of the congregation treated you like persona non grata, for daring to be so unconverted.
Tell me again what help the churches offered, Anon 4:27.
Flurry has continued the Armstrongite tradition of framing all things related to God in terms of fear. That's what kept the Israelites out of the promised land for 40 years. Fear always distorts God's purpose and plans. In fact, it blinds humans to them.
BB
"Understand your world."
HAHAHAHAHAHA
Flurry's ads don't violate the IRS's unconstitional ban on churches being involved in partisan politics because Flurry's cult believes it is a grievous sin to vote or actively participate in secular politics in any way. Only if Flurry were giving money to one party or the other, or were telling or very strongly imply who the cult members should vote for would he be in violation of the IRS code.
"Fear always distorts God's purpose and plans. In fact, it blinds humans to them."
Perfect fear casts out all love, as St. John didn't say.
Fear is exclusive. Love is inclusive. You can only be afraid of one thing at a time, and a bigger fear will drive out a lesser fear. But you can love an unlimited number of people and things.
Jared Olar wrote:
"Fear is exclusive. Love is inclusive. You can only be afraid of one thing at a time, and a bigger fear will drive out a lesser fear. But you can love an unlimited number of people and things."
What?!
Leonardo said...
"What?!"
Hey, that's just "what" I was thinking too.
Well, I've certainly been afraid of more than one thing at a time, over the course of my life.
Funny, "eternal damnation" was never one of those things, though. Huh. Go figure.
Iirc, the Cowardly Lion was afraid of lions, tigers, and bears- all at the same time.
And, I have a neighbor who seems to be afraid of two ex-wives and the Internal Revenue Service, all at the same time, too.
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