Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site k.cs.cmu.edu.ARPA Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxn!ihnp4!qantel!dual!lll-crg!seismo!rochester!pt.cs.cmu.edu!k.cs.cmu.edu!tim From: tim@k.cs.cmu.edu.ARPA (Tim Maroney) Newsgroups: net.politics,net.religion Subject: Re: "Tax Supported" Churches. Message-ID: <584@k.cs.cmu.edu.ARPA> Date: Thu, 3-Oct-85 15:57:07 EDT Article-I.D.: k.584 Posted: Thu Oct 3 15:57:07 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 6-Oct-85 05:45:53 EDT References: <459@spice.cs.cmu.edu.ARPA> Organization: Carnegie-Mellon University, Networking Lines: 19 Xref: watmath net.politics:11334 net.religion:7888 Tom, thanks for a thoughtful message on an emotional topic. I disagree with you very strongly that making churches tax-exempt is respect for the principle of separation of church and state. It puts the government in the position of deciding what is or is not a religion, and is therefore the very opposite of separation of church and state. Did you see the message by Bob Brown telling of a UPI story on 9/27 that said the Senate had agreed to deny tax-exempt status to Wiccans? Is that separation of church and state, or is it the exercise of a discriminatory power? I feel that all non-profit organizations and corporations should be tax-exempt, and churches which do not make a profit, but re-invest into charitable and missionary pursuits, should be considered non-profit corporations. To give the government the right to declare a religion "a non-religion" is a frightening, Orwellian power. -=- Tim Maroney, Carnegie-Mellon University, Networking ARPA: Tim.Maroney@CMU-CS-K uucp: seismo!cmu-cs-k!tim CompuServe: 74176,1360 audio: shout "Hey, Tim!" Brought to you by Super Global Mega Corp .com