Taxing churches?!

Courtesy of a friend on Facebook, I came across this short (and poorly thought out) op-ed piece from Slate about taxing churches.

The author seems to think that churches should be taxed since they often feature clergy that speak out on political/cultural issues. This argument is a logical fallacy and what it suggests will never happen.

Churches aren't taxed for good reason. No taxes = more of the money they collect going to the poor. (Well, that's the theory, anyway...)

Despite my many misgivings about organized religions, some of them do manage to do a good job caring for the poor. Even when they mess up, they still do a FAR superior job of caring for society's disadvantaged than ANY government ever will. This is why they have always had a tax-exempt status in America. It was set up that way so they could continue doing what they existed to do: helping people so that Government wouldn't have to spend the Nation's money on innumerable social welfare programs.

The Founding Fathers were pretty damned smart about these kind of things. They were also quite literate in world history. They knew what happened to nations that spent their national budgets on too many social welfare programs. It devolves into little else than appeasing the populace. I just can't understand why Democrats can't read a few history books and figure this out too. Their own mistakes with the New Deal and the Great Society should have taught them those lessons pretty well. The New Deal made the Great Depression last even longer. It took a victory in a world war to pull us out. The 'Great Society' didn't really accomplish any of its goals, either. Racism still exists and might actually be on the increase because of that Trayvon Martin bullshit. Poverty still exists too... and it always will. There will always be people who are unlucky or just bad with money. That's why charities (including most churches themselves) exist.

Again, No taxes = more of the money they collect going to the poor.

Willfully repeating Emperor Constantine's actions with these glorified 'Bread and Circuses'-type actions does not help society in any way. If it contributed to the downfall of a mighty civilization like the Roman Empire then, what do you think will happen to us? Prosperity is created by developing NEW resources, not spreading the preexisting wealth around via taxation and Socialism.

Also, why should a church be singled out for a type of 'free speech tax' when numerous non-profit groups speak out on politics and social matters all the time? That's not fair. It's a Democrat deliberately trying to target a group that he doesn't like and wants to see suffer. While I'm not a fan of most churches and organized religions, I'm not going to target them with bogus laws, either. It's unfair and does not afford them the equal protection under the law that all groups and citizens are guaranteed by our Constitution. It's nothing more than misusing the Law to carry out a social vendetta. It's also quite unnecessary.

Various personal issues with organizations disgracing the Judeo-Christian tradition aside (*cough*Roman Catholicism*cough*), you shouldn't need punitive tax laws to destroy a crooked religion. For example, this bad op-ed piece mentioned the Church of Scientology by name. Replaying ANYTHING Tom Cruise has done in public these last 10 years is probably the best anti-Scientology propaganda that money can't buy. That should be all you'd have to do to make most religions look ridiculous: Show their congregations in a religious fervor. While idiots will still flock to them for various reasons (usually a need to feel like they belong to something greater than themselves), intelligent people will rightfully get creeped out and haul ass out of there.

In short, quit trying to take money that isn't yours to take and just laugh at these ass-clowns like the rest of the world's Free-thinkers. Your life will be a lot happier if you just learn to pick and choose your battles a little better.

No taxes = more of the money that churches collect going to the poor.

- Lord Publius