US Church excommunicates Democrats

[crimresearch]

Relax....you're much too quick to lock horns with people.

The only thing you offered was hypothetical context. Wer'e talking about a real situation in which context is lacking. Honestly Crim, this type of attitude is beneath you.

Then you've completley lost me...I thought we were talking about *this* specific Wayneseville case, and the current law regarding such matters.

How is describing legal principles hypothetical?

 

[gnome]

And you can seperate the ideology from the candidate, how.....

By asking the congregation to affirm their ideology instead of their voting habits. The exact same ideology may lead two people to cast different votes, depending on whom they believe more.

 

[CaveDave]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: US Church excommunicates Democrats

Sorry about that. (get some sleep! ) I struggle with the quote feature. It does not lend itself to responding to posts line by line. Other times it just adds too much empty space and it is distracting.

I got some sleep, and thanks for understanding. I agree that the quote feature needs work. I got used to usenet-style quoting, and this is hard to operate.

I do appreciate csense's pov, but it seems naïve. The US government arrayed an army against the Mormon church in the 1800's over the issue of polygamy. If there was ever a notion that religions could do whatever they wanted, it died over 150 years ago.

Even though I disagree with all religion, I think any private organization should be able to select their own members and set their own rules, as long as coercion is not used to force member's compliance (in other words, they are free to leave) and that their actions don't violate the rights of outsiders. I think they should pay taxes, though.

The reality of 'separation of church' and state seems more nuanced than how it exists as an ideal.

It is certainly a complex subject, but I don't like the government interfering in private affairs.

Dave

 

[CaveDave]

It would be so nice just to take that tax exempt status from all of the churches. What a stupid waste of money.

I agree mostly, with the one possible exception of money that goes directly to charitable causes. Let them pay taxes on their expensive buildings and properties.

IMHO

Dave

 

[gnome]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: US Church excommunicates Democrats

Even though I disagree with all religion, I think any private organization should be able to select their own members and set their own rules, as long as coercion is not used to force member's compliance (in other words, they are free to leave) and that their actions don't violate the rights of outsiders. I think they should pay taxes, though.

100% agreement. If they want to pay taxes, they can enforce whatever asinine rules they want.

Edited to add: Also as long as they do not rely on direct government funding. Or a government corporate charter. Or government contracts.

 

[ceo_esq]

I agree mostly, with the one possible exception of money that goes directly to charitable causes. Let them pay taxes on their expensive buildings and properties.

For the record, taxes on North Carolina property are imposed under state law and assessed locally. The N.C. General Statutes exempt from property tax property used for religious purposes, and it's not clear that conduct resulting in a loss of a federal tax exemption would necessarily make an organization ineligible for a N.C. property tax exemption.

Also, it's worth noting that a church that loses its federal income tax exemption will not necessarily end up paying any income tax. Certainly, donations to the church will no longer provide a deduction for the donor, but since property acquired by gift is ordinarily excluded from the definition of gross income for IRS purposes, the church would not pay taxes on such donations.

 

[crimresearch]

Which would seem to make it *less* likely that this incident would rise to the level of the government interfering with freedom of religion, should they rescind the Waynesville church's federal tax exemption.

 

[ceo_esq]

Which would seem to make it *less* likely that this incident would rise to the level of the government interfering with freedom of religion, should they rescind the Waynesville church's federal tax exemption.

Precisely. In fact, at least one circuit court has previously made essentially the same point.

 

[Question]

I am curious though why you seem to think the grammatical classification of a word would infer motive.

Now you're attacking your own arguments? Wow, this is too easy.

Democrat is also a noun, and neither of which speak to motive.

 

[c4ts]

Re: Re: Re: US Church excommunicates Democrats

What does the constitutional restrictions on government have to do with what a church can or can't do with its members?

Evidently the church seems to think it should not be that way.