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From: arnold@ucbvax.ARPA (Kenneth C R C Arnold)
Newsgroups: net.politics,net.religion
Subject: Re: "Tax Supported" Churches.
Message-ID: <10518@ucbvax.ARPA>
Date: Wed, 2-Oct-85 04:10:42 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.10518
Posted: Wed Oct  2 04:10:42 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 3-Oct-85 07:24:04 EDT
References: <5945@cbscc.UUCP> <569@k.cs.cmu.edu.ARPA> <421@persci.UUCP>
Reply-To: arnold@ucbvax.UUCP (Kenneth C R C Arnold)
Organization: University of California at Berkeley
Lines: 35
Xref: watmath net.politics:11299 net.religion:7854

In article <421@persci.UUCP> bill@persci.UUCP (William Swan) writes:
>In article <569@k.cs.cmu.edu.ARPA> tim@k.cs.cmu.edu.ARPA (Tim Maroney) writes:
>>Look, the issue here is very simple.
>>
>>Does it cost the government money to fight fires, maintain the streets,
>>patrol neighborhoods to discourage blatant criminality, and pick up the
>>garbage?  Obviously it does.
>>
>>Do churches benefit from these services to the same extent secular
>>organizations do?  Obviously they do.
>>
>>Do churches pay for them?  Obviously they don't.
>
>Tim, the issues are *ALWAYS* simple when you don't use real facts,
>but invent them up out of your own prejudice. You really should go
>sit on the board (the "vestry" in Anglican churches) of a church,
>participate in the community outreach programs of that church, and
>sit in on their budget committee meetings, before you go spouting
>off again about how the churches get a free ride from the state!
>
>Does Tim *really* know what goes on in a church? Obviously he doesn't.
>
>William Swan  {ihnp4,decvax,allegra,...}!uw-beaver!tikal!persci!bill

I know of many public service agencies which are tax exempt.  Few of
them add to their overhed the costs of maintaining a meeting hall,
usually fancy, purcheases of Bibles or other religious texts and
objects, and all the other things which churches do that are not part
of community outreach or any other charitable program.

The *portion* of a churches budget which goes to charitable causes
should be just as tax exempt as any other charitable process.  The
religious part of it should not be.

		Ken Arnold


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