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From: eme@mtgzz.UUCP (e.m.eades)
Newsgroups: net.legal,net.taxes,net.religion,net.politics
Subject: Re: RE. Scopes II
Message-ID: <2041@mtgzz.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 14-Aug-86 19:39:52 EDT
Article-I.D.: mtgzz.2041
Posted: Thu Aug 14 19:39:52 1986
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>In article <3365@jhunix.UUCP>, ins_alal@jhunix.UUCP (cloudbuster) writes:
>> Also, either no religion should be tax-free or all religions should be
>> tax-free.  Personally, I say the former.  I was given to understand that
>> a bill sponsored by Sen. Jesse Helms last year was passed into law; a
>> bill that excluded from exemption such religions as Wicca and Satanism.
>
>What is a religion?  I could worship cats, invite people with cats to my
>home, call my home the House of Cat Worship, and not pay any
>property taxes.  Is this what you want?  There are religions and then there
>are organizations who pass themselves off as a religion.  Some organizations
>can, CAN, WITH OUT A DOUBT, no matter what they consider themselves, be far
>from the tax-free status of a religious organization.  Charles Mansion had
>a cult following, not a religious following.  But there are those nuts out
>there who would have said back then, and even now, that if the Catholic 
>church gets tax free status, why don't cults like Mansion's? 

A small nit to pick here (please correct me if I'm wrong, I'm not a tax lawyer):
	I thought that to gain tax free status you had to be a non-profit
organization, and that all religions automatically got that status.  I
don't see why Mansion's cult should not have tax free status IF 1 they abide
by the laws (which clearly he didn't) and 2 they are running a truely
non-profit organization.  A religious sect should not be discrimminated
against because it is small and not popular with the mainstream religions.
They (and probably the larger religions too ) should only have to prove
that they are a non-profit organization.  Personally I would be infavor
of taxing all religions.  I wonder if the Catholic Church could show
that it is truely a non-profit organization.  Which brings up another
point, what is the legal definition of non-profit?  If say EXXON plowed
all thier profits back into their own organization instead of distributing
it to share holders would that make it non-profit?  It seems that a
large organization like the Catholic church (my apologies to the catholics,
I'm only picking on the Catholic church because it is the only religion
that comes to mind that could compare to a international corporation)
has billions in assets all over the world most of which go to running
sugh a large organization.  While the C. church runs massive charities
so do several large organizations (like the ATT Foundation).

>YOU kind of
>people scare the hell out of me even worse than the cults you are trying
>to protect.  Luckily you are in the minority and always will be, but like
>an undisciplined child, you make an awful lot of noise and waste an awful
>lot of energy.  Now, where did I put those ear plugs.

Why is she like an undisciplined child because she makes noise about 
preserving freedom of religion?  You're making at least as much noise,
and not being as nice about it.  Why does freedom of religion scare you?
Afraid if you have other choices you might convert?  (or worse yet your
childern might)
>
>> What's next?  After we are rid of all the "evil cults,"
>> maybe we'll hit on Islam, and then Judiasm.  Pretty soon it'll be so
>> that there's only one government approved religion.
>> 
>
>Yea, and be careful a meteor doesn't fall on your house just because you
>are out star gazing, after all, they are related events aren't they?
>
>ray

Ray now you are getting ridiculous.  Its easy to lose freedoms alittle bit
at a time, they slowly get erroded away.  Remember, Hitler was an elected
official and the Germany government voted away their democracy for a
dictatorship.  Alittle paranoia about our freedoms keeps us alert.  We
are the ones who are the checks on our government.

-Beth Eades