William K. Wolfrum's picture

    It's time to tax God

    By William K. Wolfrum on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 12:33pm | Politics

    “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

    If there has been one phrase reverberating across the United States the past decade or so, it’s that “Freedom isn’t Free.” So why is Freedom of Religion free?

    As conservatives and liberals alike fret over the current U.S. deficit, Republicans have made it clear that they believe any new taxes would stifle growth and hurt business both large and small. But religion is not a business.

    Ok, those last six words are, of course, terribly naive, but are correct in at least a figurative sense. A Church or religion is not a charity. They may commit acts of charity, but it is done for a singular purpose – to encourage people to follow their beliefs. The more that follow those beliefs, the more money is taken in by the church or religious entity.

    In the United States, the freedom of religion is guaranteed in the Constitution. This is how it should be. All Americans should and do have the right to believe whatever they like. And they should have a right to support any institution they feel supports their views. But that does not mean the State should reimburse people or churches for their beliefs.

    To take it to the next step, in this hyper-politicized time, churches have been unable and unwilling to avoid the temptation of taking political stands. The Mormon Church famously ran a campaign that got Proposition 8 passed. The Catholic Church punishes any that even believe in a woman’s right to choose. The Park 51 Islamic Community Center has become a political football. Simply put, politics and religion are infused in the United States. Church and State are now inextricably intertwined.

    The most important aspect of removing tax-exempt status from churches or religious entities is that it must be all-encompassing. Whether you believe a certain religion is “true” or “false” makes no difference. Scientology should be taxed, as should Islam. The Catholic Church should be taxed, as should synagogues. There are no favorites. Whether you believe in L. Ron Hubbard, Jesus, a tree, Mother Earth or Allah, it is time for the tax man to cometh.

    If an organization’s main purpose is to preach the supernatural and it collects money to spread the word of its supernatural beliefs in order to get converts, that organization needs to be required to pay the same tax rate as any other business its size. Will this end up hurting some religious organizations? Probably. But Jesus preached in fields, so they can do the same if they must. Having a “personal relationship” with God doesn’t demand that relationship take place in gold-plated churches.

    Mind you, it’s appallingly obvious that a “Tax God” movement would be doomed to fail in a nation so riddled with religion. But the fact is, there’s no reason for the government to give you a tax break for tithing. And there’s no reason the finances of churches should be clouded in mystery. It is time for them to open their books, and render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.

    If America is serious about reigning in its ballooning debt, taxing churches needs to be put on the table. God has gotten a free ride long enough in the United States, and it’s hurting the one true religion in America – Capitalism.

    --WKW

    Originally posted at Alan Colmes Presents Liberaland

    Topics: 
    Politics

    Comments

    You assume, as many do, that most individual churches are turning some sort of profit. Go sit in the annual business meeting of most and you'll find that it is quite the opposite. My current parish barely breaks even each year---and still donates huge amounts to charity. Half of the profits from last year's Lenten fish fries went to relief efforts in Haiti even though the parish itself barely broke even on its own budget. The parish I worked for for 10 years, on the other hand, is in debt to the local bank due to borrowing money to keep its schools and social services afloat--entities that employ over 60 people in a small town in rough economic times. What good would taxing them do other than create more unemployment in that particular community?


    by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 2:00pm

    Lots of businesses have been going out of business. Not really my problem if Churches can't handle their finances.

    by William K. Wolfrum on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 2:20pm

    When did a church become a business? If your budget isn't enough to run a school, then you shouldn't be in the business.  If you must have one, then it's on the parents to pay for it. If they can't then they have no choice but public schools. Very simple business decision. As for social services, your city, county, state and federal government run social programs, so there's no need for you to run one by yourself. Perhaps, you should donate your church services to the local social services. It would save you money and doing God's work for free is what religion is really all about, isn't it?

    It all goes back to what I was taught about God as a child...he resides in the Temple in my mind. He doesn't require elobrate settings, houses or adornments. All he wants is a piece of my mind he can call home. He doesn't pay rent and I don't ask him for any.


    by Beetlejuice on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 3:17pm

    your pic looks like a terrorist


    by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 2:04pm

    that's because they are


    by Beetlejuice on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 3:03pm

    This is quite the interesting idea. While most religious organizations are small and pious, and could not afford to have "business as usual" if they were taxed by the federal (state, county, or municipal) gov't, there are those organizations out there (megachurches, 700 club, etc...) that have such large followings that they CAN afford to be taxed. A commentor brought up that these organizations donate money to charities and that any form of taxation would cripple, if not collapse, them. This is not true. Donations to charities for businesses and corporations are tax-deductable. Wolfrum did bring up a VERY good point. Jesus did preach in open fields. He did not require a salary for his obligations to the masses, as many contemporary preachers of mega churches do. Why do churches need mega projection screens, state-of-the-art sound systems, all-inclusive trips to foreign locales for missionary trips (show me a place on this panet that has not been touched by one of the Abrahamic religions), etc...? There are too many televangelists clogging up the airwaves everyday on local channels in the middle of the afternoon, some even offer "membership" if you send in money. TELL ME WHY THESE ORGANIZATIONS CANNOT BE TAXED. If this sounds in anyway ridiculous to tax a religion, then i suggest we increase taxes on who the Bible (known as the WORD OF GOD to Christians) says we should...The super rich, known as the top 2% in this country. Doesn't sound too crazy after the religious arguement, huh? America is in love with this American Dream myth, that one day "I" will be up there with the rich and fabulously famous, sipping martinis on my yacht in the French Riviera, with Meghan Fox on my right and Richard Bronson cheers-ing me on the left. Here is the disturbing, someone-just-told-me-my-dog-died truth: The American Dream, except for the fortunate 2% of the population, is a MYTH propagated by a rich minority to placate the other 98% of us to vote against our own economic interests.    


    by Progressive Athiest (not verified) on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 2:41pm

    Wolfrum brings up a very good point ... if all religions were Christian.

    Let's start with the super-rich. See how that goes. Then move on to putting churches out of business because Wolfrum doesn't see their continued existence as "his problem."

     


    by kgb999 on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 3:58pm

    The continued existence of churches should not be the "government's problem," (meaning that they should not get a free ride for public services)  If a church catches fire, doesn't the fire department come and put the fire out?  If it is robbed, don't the police investigate?  Don't roads, that are paid for by all of us allow the worshipers to get to church just as those roads allow people to get into a shopping mall?  And none of this even addresses the tax write-offs that donations to churches deprive the country of.

    The pious freeloaders were just fine until the "others" wanted in.  The actual others: UNBELIEVERS are the ones who have really been had.

     

     

     


    by CVille Dem on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 7:27pm

    In a world where Karl Rove's mega-money machine is collecting millions and millions of tax-free dollars to dump into our political arena every month, I am having a difficult time working up even a sliver of indignation here. I just see this another example of us eating each other instead of focusing on the ones who are really sucking the lifeblood from our nation and our economy.

    Check this:

    Every 34th wage earner in America in 2008 went all of 2009 without earning a single dollar, new data from the Social Security Administration show.

    [...]

    The number of Americans making $50 million or more, the top income category in the data, fell from 131 in 2008 to 74 last year. But that’s only part of the story.

    The average wage in this top category increased from $91.2 million in 2008 to an astonishing $518.8 million in 2009. That’s nearly $10 million in weekly pay!

    Taxing just the earnings of those 74 people who combined pocketed an untaxed $38 billion at the same rate you or I pay on our income would likely do as much for our liquidity as taxing all the churches in America by the time charitable donations and everything else is factored in to their "profits" ... while putting a huge collection strain on the IRS when we really want them addressing those at the top of the economic food chain.

    It is equally short-sighted to demand earmarks be eliminated as a way to fix the deficit as well, IMO. Just seems a one-size-fits-all excuse for people to attack things they've always had a problem with to me - while ignoring those who are really being economically abusive. I say focus where we'll get the biggest bang for our buck


    by kgb999 on Tue, 10/26/2010 - 1:43am

    Hi there Progressive Atheist,

    some good points. There are churches that do not have mega projection screens, rock bands, thousands of attendees, latte shops, or in the case of my church, even a electronic sound system (the apses work quite well as they have for thousands of years and it keeps the electricity bill down).

    Our pastor is paid somewhat above the poverty rate, so not getting into the top 2% soon.

    One final point. In the Orthodox Church, 'The Word of God" is Jesus Christ. The Bible only points to Him. It was in the radical reformation that the combo of the OT and NT became the Word of God since this reformation emphasized book knowledge over direct spiritual experience. But that is a detail for another time.

    Now if we could only get this economy going again instead by all of us buying things made by American from companies that pay Americans decent wages and if our politicians would give tax incentives only to companies to build here and hire here and pay good wages and benefits to folks here, then we could solve a lot of issues. What I like to call trickle up economics!!!

    Regards,

    Mike 


    by Mike (not verified) on Tue, 10/26/2010 - 12:17am

    I couldn't have said it better myself.

    Now, on a scale of 1 - 10, with 1 being a snowball in hell, how likely do you think your sensible and moral suggestion will even be suggested where it counts? Churches have stranglehold on the neck of this country, and they will never give up. Too much money at stake, you know?


    by CVille Dem on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 2:43pm

    Coincidentally I recently read that the Crystal Cathedral, the drive-in church designed by Philip Johnson for Robert Schuller, has gone bankrupt.


    by Donal on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 2:46pm

    Happy days are here again?

    Damn I am going to google this.


    by Richard Day on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 3:09pm

    William,

    it's really kind of hard to figure out the effectiveness of your interesting proposal.

    As an income generation device, it may be less than thought. Sure there are those mega-churches with multi-million dollar budgets. They would ring the cash registers like the taxes on well paid folks that don't cheat (there are some). However, numerically most churches have relatively modest to small budgets and since taxes are a percentage (and our system is a progressive system - so lower incomes result in lower taxes) this wouldn't put them 'out of business' but would also result in minimal tax revenue. So probably not a major factor to 'save' the national budget.

    If this a proposal to somehow lower the effect of the Church, this is also very modest compared to historical attempts. Roman Emperors Nero and Hadrian gave it a shot but didn't do too well. Now Diocletian really worked hard to get rid of all clergy and non recanting Christians (turning Christians into torches, put into tin and tar furnaces, beheading, etc.), but that ended without success either.

    In the 600's an Arabian ruler took over a city of Christians and first set a fire and put in all the clergy (about 124) and then killed the rest of the inhabitants (old and young) by the sword. Slowed things down there for a while but didn't really work either. 

    We'll skip the various Muslim attempts to get rid of Christianity and move right on to the more recent pros like Lenin, Stalin, Mao and the Albanians. You know, people who killed 10;s of millions of their own folks, Lenin basically rounded up most of the bishops and clergy and shot them all. Stalin, until WW II, left a few around to show he was all okay with Mother Russia, but basically shut down all churches, seminaries and monasteries and killed a good many more or sent them off to the Gulag to die. 

    Now in Albania, they killed all the clergy and got rid of all the churches. Very efficient and complete. Why mess around?

    All these actions make your proposal, which is already a weak revenue generator, seem a really wimpy church slow down program compared to the really dedicated 'gentlemen' I have listed above.

    Today the Church is as strong as ever in Russia, growing in Albania, reestablishing in China, etc. 

    So in closing, I'm not sure what your proposal intends but it seems rather impotent from several angles. Perhaps some more thought would help.

    Regards,

    Mike


    by Mike (not verified) on Tue, 10/26/2010 - 12:07am

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