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Churches could lose tax exemption over gay marriage
American Thinker ^ | June 28, 2015 | Daniel John Sobieski

Posted on 06/29/2015 8:21:39 AM PDT by ConservingFreedom

Lost in the celebrations over universal gay marriage, like abortion, being deemed a right found in the “penumbras and emanations” of the Constitution is the chilling effect the ruling has on religious liberty.  In a telling exchange between the Obama administration’s Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli, Jr. and Justice Samuel Alito, detailed by Tom Blumer at Newsbusters.com, in which Verrilli admitted that churches could lose their tax exemptions if they refuse to perform gay weddings:

Justice Alito: Well, in the Bob Jones case, the Court held that a college was not entitled to tax­exempt status if it opposed interracial marriage or interracial dating. So would the same apply to a university or a college if it opposed same­-sex marriage?

General Verrilli: You know, ­­I don’t think I can answer that question without knowing more specifics, but it’s certainly going to be an issue. I don’t deny that. I don’t deny that, Justice Alito. It is­­ it is going to be an issue.

So the administration admits that the tax exemption of institutions could be at risk if they refuse to acquiesce in the acceptance of gay marriages.  There is no reason to assume that this mandate would not apply to institutions such as the Catholic Church.  Those who think this is a red herring forget that this is the administration dragging the Little Sisters of the Poor, a group of elderly nuns devoted to helping the aged poor, through the courts, because they won’t comply with Obamacare’s contraception coverage mandate [...]

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bloat
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To: ConservingFreedom

[[General Verrilli: You know, ­­I don’t think I can answer that question without knowing more specifics, but it’s certainly going to be an issue. I don’t deny that. I don’t deny that, Justice Alito. It is­­ it is going to be an issue.]]

KNOWING that this ruling IS going to be an assault on religion- the MSM is silent- (actually they are quietly cheering those who are doing the assaulting) because it was initiated by their beloved dear leader-

Now compare that with how the left would be screaming bloody hell if a republican had tried the same crap- all of a sudden the left would be loudly proclaiming religious liberties are being assaulted-

EVIL has it’;s foot In the door folks- Nay- the door has been blown clean off it’s hinges, and the wolves that are the msm are salivating at the prospect of having lamb for dinner- The question is how many months will it take before Christian churches are fiend out of existence or the members jailed for violating the ILLEGALLY rewritten law-


21 posted on 06/29/2015 9:56:48 AM PDT by Bob434
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To: ConservingFreedom

Not only tax exemption is at stake but what is preached from the pulpit. The Court has now said that gay marriage is a civil right and to say otherwise from the pulpit is a punishable civil rights violation. Look at Canada where preaching against homosexuality is a prosecutable hate crime. Congress with the help of the Court has now passed laws that establish religious teaching totally trashing the First Amendment.


22 posted on 06/29/2015 10:00:03 AM PDT by The Great RJ (“Socialists are happy until they run out of other people's money.” Margaret Thatcher)
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To: ansel12

That’s a beautiful small church building. Will the congregation that meets there be able to pay the property taxes on the bulding and the land it rests on?

If not, that lovely biuilding will belong to the state or to another buyer to use for whatever purpose the new owner sees fit (except not as a place of worship for churches who disagree with same sex marriage).


23 posted on 06/29/2015 10:10:36 AM PDT by rusty schucklefurd
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To: rusty schucklefurd
The building is small and simple, and it doesn't need all that land, if it even belongs to that church.

Christians will survive. Giant churches might have a problem.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

24 posted on 06/29/2015 10:47:32 AM PDT by ansel12 (libertarians have always been for gay marriage and polygamy, gay Scout leaders, gay military.)
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To: ConservingFreedom

They do not care about gays. They are just using this issue so they can tax churches. It is all about the money. Just sit back and watch. Every issue is about getting more money from the serfs.


25 posted on 06/29/2015 10:59:49 AM PDT by justa-hairyape (The user name is sarcastic. Although at times it may not appear that way.)
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To: VanDeKoik
If the majority of individuals who claim to be Christian hadn't already taken their thirty pieces of silver neither the churches or the government would have fallen to the point they have.
26 posted on 06/29/2015 11:41:58 AM PDT by Rashputin (Jesus Christ doesn't evacuate His troops, He leads them to victory.)
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To: ConservingFreedom

I want to hear the sermon at the Charleston Emanuel AME Church when they learn that they must have gay marriages.


27 posted on 06/29/2015 12:43:11 PM PDT by Mike Darancette (Barack Obama is not inarguably sane.)
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To: ansel12

Ansel12, I totally agree that God’s church will survive. Where did I say that it wouldn’t?

I am saying that removing the tax exempt status will hurt some churches, especially small churches with small congregations. Does that stop God’s work? No, but it may create financial hardships on some small churches to where they could lose their property if they cannot afford the property taxes.

It will also hurt smaller churches from being able to adequately support the pastor and his family because the cost of paying taxes will increase the expenses the church pays for everything - from paper, to Sunday School literature, to utilities, to any and everything the church does.

60 percent of American evangelical churches of all denominations consist of memberships of 100 or less. 35 percent have congregations of 500 to 100 people. So, that means that 94 to 95 percent of all evangelical churches have less that 500 members. My own church has about 50 in membership.

As I said, God’s work goes on and He can meet all our needs and more without money, I am just saying this will make things harder on smaller congregations financially.


28 posted on 06/29/2015 1:17:53 PM PDT by rusty schucklefurd
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To: miss marmelstein
Is there an upside to this? Can someone tackle that question?

The chance to show God whose side we're on? I know that's not much, but it's all I can come up with.

29 posted on 06/29/2015 3:09:54 PM PDT by TwelveOfTwenty (See my home page for some of my answers to the left's talking points.)
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To: VanDeKoik
.

So ... what does Christ's American Christian Church do in 2014 ?

KEEP Uncle Sam's MONEY ... and Shut-The-Heck-Up about Uncle Sam's evil ways ...

or "SPEAK GOD'S TRUTH without RESERVATION" ...

and TRUST Jesus Christ for the money needed to buy all those bibles for the Christian missionaries to China ?





 photo IRS-950_zpsa5223654.jpg

Muster up the courage to do the free IRS download of "Pamplet P1828" which specifies the legal details of your tax-exempt church's servitude to it's U.S. Government Masters.

Heck, I'll even do you the favor of providing the internet link:

IRS Legal Obligations of Tax-Exempt Christian Churches and Pastors" - (click)



 photo IRS--211H_zps9a42d760.jpg

 photo IRS--211D_zps76d54b3c.jpg

 photo IRS-940_zps073562f1.jpg

 photo IRS-830_zpsec27dc18.jpg .




IRS & Church Marriage vs. "Render Unto Caesar" ...

IRS & Church Marriage vs. "Render Unto Caesar" - (click)



America's Spiritual Revival and Healing - The Obstacle ...

.America's Spiritual Revival and Healing - The Obstacle ... - (click)




Pro-Life Victory vs. "Render Unto Caesar" ...

Pro-Life Victory vs. "Render Unto Caesar" - (click)




Tea Party Christians and "Render Unto Caesar" ...

Tea Party Christians and "Render Unto Caesar" - (click)



 photo IRS--211Y_zps47974838.jpg

.

30 posted on 06/29/2015 5:04:49 PM PDT by Patton@Bastogne
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To: Dilbert San Diego
Yet there was no explanation in the court ruling as to why the liberals changed their minds about this key point.

It looks like we have a SC making IMPORTANT decisions outside the realm of existing law and the Constitution.

America's SC is creating "America - the banana republic."

31 posted on 06/29/2015 6:24:19 PM PDT by VideoDoctor
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To: rusty schucklefurd

I don’t want the status to change, but I don’t see it as the problem that I thought it would be, when I was 20 or 30 years younger.

Christians are going to have their hands full in the future, and finding buildings and homes to meet in, will be one of the less important problems.


32 posted on 06/29/2015 6:24:48 PM PDT by ansel12 (libertarians have always been for gay marriage and polygamy, gay Scout leaders, gay military.)
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To: ansel12

Remember this also affects Christian schools, orphanages,and hospitals, too. I agree as the scriptures say, “Where two or three are gathered in my Name. . .” and therefore having a place to worship isn’t the biggest problem, but there are far-reaching damages that will occur with removing the tax exempt status that churches have enjoyed since the founding of the nation.


33 posted on 06/29/2015 6:56:53 PM PDT by rusty schucklefurd
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