Churches should have to pay taxes in america. I find it quite ridiculous that they don’t. This is not a theocracy, it is a democracy, tax the damn churches.
I would just like to point out that most churches and places of worship for most faith traditions do not look as nice as that. Their money goes to making sure they continue to have a place to worship, helping their community and their members, providing scholarships, paying their religious leaders, et cetera.
If all churches weren’t tax exempt, they wouldn’t have any money to do anything.
Not that most of them have enough money as it is.
In addition, some sects actually do pay taxes in a sense, although not to the government itself. United Methodism, for example- they have yearly amounts of money that are supposed to go to their local conference as a whole. Most of them don’t end up being able to pay it in full, however, because they don’t have enough money and the money they do have goes to, again, helping their community and their members.
Not all religious people are out to gain power and money. I wish people would realise that.
(And since, like stated above, the United States of America is not a theocracy… the government doesn’t have the right to tax a church building/religious building and that non-profit organisation as a whole).
