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- Manlobbi
Investment Strategies / Mechanical Investing❤
No. of Recommendations: 4
No. of Recommendations: 4
They do anyway. I don't think the law changed that one bit, and the IRS ignored that part of the regs for decades.
I still think they should tax churches. Sure, deduct any charitable work they do (e.g. soup kitchens). But they should be taxed, just like everyone else.
No. of Recommendations: 11
They have been endorsing candidates, sure.
We are members of the local YMCA. They have a gym, swimming pools, sauna and health classes. The YMCA is a non-profit, like a church. Our membership dues are not tax-deductible, of course. Why should a church membership "dues" be different? They shouldn't.
We once were members of a very liberal church. Not evangelical, upper middle-class. This church spent less than 5% of revenues on charitable causes. The rest of the considerable revenue was spent on facilities upkeep and salaries. It's a social club.
The church members wanted to redo the parking lot. I said if we really followed the teachings of Jesus, we would take a wrecking ball to the whole thing and build affordable housing or something and meet in a local school on a Sunday. They redid the parking lot.
No. of Recommendations: 8
This church spent less than 5% of revenues on charitable causes. The rest of the considerable revenue was spent on facilities upkeep and salaries. It's a social club.
My father was a Deacon of his (our) church. He eventually figured out that they were using less than 3% of “tithes” on charitable work, the rest went into heating, cooling, redoing the rugs, painting the parking lot, landscaping, and all the other things that go with running an organized social.
He was aghast, not so much that he stopped going, but enough that he resigned from helping the other church “fathers” run the place. He was a *believer*, but not necessarily a crazy person.
No. of Recommendations: 0
My father was a Deacon of his (our) church. He eventually figured out that they were using less than 3% of “tithes” on charitable work, the rest went into heating, cooling, redoing the rugs, painting the parking lot, landscaping, and all the other things that go with running an organized social.
And salaries. Normal. Though I will point out that churches don't usually hide this. All the churches I've been involved with published their annual accounts for members to see. It's no secret that they spend mostly on church-related stuff. Big, drafty buildings, full-time staff. It all costs a lot.
No. of Recommendations: 6
And it should all be taxed. Only monies directed to actual charitable work should be deductible. Just like everyone else.
No. of Recommendations: 1
Absolutely. I don’t get to deduct my gym membership.
No. of Recommendations: 7
All the churches I've been involved with published their annual accounts for members to see. It's no secret that they spend mostly on church-related stuff. Big, drafty buildings, full-time staff.And sexual abuse lawsuits, lots of sexual abuse lawsuits...
"More than $5 billion spent on Catholic sexual abuse allegations, new report finds."
"During the 20 years of surveys, the respondents reported 16,276 credible allegations of sexual abuse of minors by priests, deacons or religious brothers."
https://www.ncronline.org/news/more-5-billion-spen...
No. of Recommendations: 4
The Catholics are the best known for this. But even the meek JWs have been caught.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/21/je...What is it with "faith leaders" and sexual misconduct? Does it happen more frequently than professors and students? Congresspeople and pages? I'd be curious if it's roughly the same, or more, or less.
No. of Recommendations: 7
What is it with "faith leaders" and sexual misconduct? Does it happen more frequently than professors and students?
My take is that the overarching misconduct among Catholic 'faith leaders' stems from the Church's millennia-long disdain for women, most prominently observed as a vow of celibacy among priests and brothers.
Tom
