(July 31, 2015 at 10:24 am)Redbeard The Pink Wrote:(July 31, 2015 at 10:00 am)Drich Wrote: you don't know how churches work/are funded do you? Hint: It's not by the government. The reason Churches are not taxed is because they offer benevolence/programs to the community that the government does not have to. The only time government money is spent by the church is when the government offers food assistance to established church pantries/food give away programs, and in doing so their are a lot of federal regulations and mandates on said food, which is why most churches will not accept it.
That said I am not opposed to churches paying taxes. Render unto ceasar and all of that.
I didn't say they were funded by the government. I said they receive tax relief from the government, and they do. As long as they're getting that relief and performing marriages with government authority, they should have to marry whoever the government tells them to.
I was a fucking preacher's kid, bro. I know exactly how churches are funded.
again the reason they offer tax relief is because some bean counter figured out a long time ago the church offers more in the way of services than in taxes. The church owes the state nothing. Tax relief is not a quid pro quoe exchange. It is permitted or not.
