Why Churches Should Not Pay Taxes
Author: Dean M. Kelley
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 1977
Total Pages: 168
ISBN-13:
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →Author: Dean M. Kelley
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 1977
Total Pages: 168
ISBN-13:
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →Author: Alain De Botton
Publisher: Signal
Published: 2012-03-06
Total Pages: 298
ISBN-13: 0771025998
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →From the author of The Architecture of Happiness, a deeply moving meditation on how we can still benefit, without believing, from the wisdom, the beauty, and the consolatory power that religion has to offer. Alain de Botton was brought up in a committedly atheistic household, and though he was powerfully swayed by his parents' views, he underwent, in his mid-twenties, a crisis of faithlessness. His feelings of doubt about atheism had their origins in listening to Bach's cantatas, were further developed in the presence of certain Bellini Madonnas, and became overwhelming with an introduction to Zen architecture. However, it was not until his father's death -- buried under a Hebrew headstone in a Jewish cemetery because he had intriguingly omitted to make more secular arrangements -- that Alain began to face the full degree of his ambivalence regarding the views of religion that he had dutifully accepted. Why are we presented with the curious choice between either committing to peculiar concepts about immaterial deities or letting go entirely of a host of consoling, subtle and effective rituals and practices for which there is no equivalent in secular society? Why do we bristle at the mention of the word "morality"? Flee from the idea that art should be uplifting, or have an ethical purpose? Why don't we build temples? What mechanisms do we have for expressing gratitude? The challenge that de Botton addresses in his book: how to separate ideas and practices from the religious institutions that have laid claim to them. In Religion for Atheists is an argument to free our soul-related needs from the particular influence of religions, even if it is, paradoxically, the study of religion that will allow us to rediscover and rearticulate those needs.
Author: Edward A. Zelinsky
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 2017-09-27
Total Pages: 281
ISBN-13: 0190853964
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →This book explores the taxation and exemption of churches and other religious institutions, both empirically and normatively. This exploration reveals that churches and other religious institutions are treated diversely by the federal and state tax systems. Sectarian institutions pay more tax than many believe. In important respects, the states differ among themselves in their respective approaches to the taxation of sectarian entities. Either taxing or exempting churches and other sectarian entities entangles church and state. The taxes to which churches are more frequently subject - federal Social Security and Medicare taxes, sales taxes, real estate conveyance taxes - fall on the less entangling end of the spectrum. The taxes from which religious institutions are exempt - general income taxes, value-based property taxes, unemployment taxes - are typically taxes with the greatest potential for church-state enforcement entanglement. It is unpersuasive to reflexively denounce the tax exemption of religious actors and institutions as a subsidy. Tax exemption can implement the secular, non-subsidizing goal of minimizing church-state enforcement entanglement and thus be regarded as part of a normative tax base. Taxing the church or exempting the church involves often difficult trade-offs among competing and legitimate values. On balance, our federal system of decentralized legislation reasonably make these legal and tax policy trade-offs, though there is room for improvement in particular settings such as the protection of internal church communications and the expansion of the churches' sales tax liabilities.
Author: Candice Waller
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: 2024-02-04
Total Pages: 0
ISBN-13:
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →Churches and taxes are the meeting place of the spiritual and financial spheres. This complex and often divisive topic raises questions about how much tax revenue comes from religious institutions and where the line must be set to maintain the separation of religion and state. Churches are vital to society because they serve as places of prayer, social action, and charitable giving. However, the question of whether they should be exempt from certain taxes or subject to financial rules is one that is often debated. In this research, we'll look at the background information, the arguments for and against church tax exemptions, the discussions surrounding this policy, and the larger implications for religious institutions and the communities they serve. Join me as we traverse the intricate intersection between taxes and churches. The religious institutions' exemption from taxation The tax-exempt status of religious groups is a complex and hotly contested issue that includes social, legal, and religious considerations. Examining the key elements in further detail: 1. Background History: Tax exemptions for religious organizations are well-established and often linked to the principle of maintaining the separation of religion and stat
Author: Richard R. Hammar
Publisher:
Published: 1983
Total Pages: 456
ISBN-13: 9780882435800
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →Author: C. Christopher Smith
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Published: 2014-05-06
Total Pages: 251
ISBN-13: 0830841148
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →In today's fast-food world, Christianity can seem outdated or archaic. The temptation becomes to pick up the pace and play the game. But Chris Smith and John Pattison invites us to leave franchise faith behind and enter the kingdom of God, where people know each other well and love one another as Christ loves the church.
Author: Samuel D. Brunson
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2018-04-19
Total Pages: 271
ISBN-13: 1107176301
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →Provides a coherent way to think about the intersection of religious practice and taxes.