Posted on 06/29/2015 3:49:49 PM PDT by Laissez-faire capitalist
I must say it gets under my skin for people to treat tithing like playing a slot machine. Ooh let me put my quarter in so I can get a “blessing.” You should give because God tells us to, because St Paul speaks of us helping one another. I don’t put my tithe in an envelope so I can get the tax deduction, I don’t want a deduction from this wicked government for tithing.
Seriously, no offense to anyone here personally, just a general rant.
That whole obamacare thing regarding a tax or a penalty.
Some might say the marriage license thing is a penalty! ;)
Scalia had some funny things to say about the ruling and “liberty” and “marriage”.
Excerpt below:
(Really? Who ever thought that intimacy and spirituality [whatever that means] were freedoms? And if intimacy is, one would think Freedom of Intimacy is abridged rather than expanded by marriage. Ask the nearest hippie.
Expression, sure enough, is a freedom, but anyone in a long-lasting marriage will attest that that happy state constricts, rather than expands, what one can prudently say.)
Good question. I would assume that churches would have more freedom if they weren't attached by the tax strings. Many of us no longer get to deduct our donations so it makes no never mind to me as far as making my offering and other donations.
I wonder what it takes to be in a position where you can get a break for religious offerings these days.
Churches grow due to contributions to them. At present, contributions are tax deductible. When the tax exemptions go away, there will be a HUGE loss of revenue in the church. There will, of course, be those that truly believe and will continue to contribute, but most will fall away. This will devastate the churches. courts have stayed away from it or outright rejected taking it on.
Until now. Deviant sexual behavior has never been a protected class. It is now. It is on par with race. A court would likely side with someone claiming discrimination based on race, and now that deviant marriage is a "civil right", they will side with the deviants.
A little common sense goes a long way, and common sense dictates this is where we are headed.
I wish the Catholic church would speak out on this matter. However, they have a big problem with homo priests and pedophile priests. It would be interesting to see how they respond to this ruling. I don’t hold out much hope, though.
You would hope but I am not convinced. At least according to Glenn Beck, the Justice Department is ready to pounce on any churches that refuse.
For the past two thousand years since Jesus ascended churches had no business operating as a business. They were supposed to be operating as a soul-winning enterprise and then after that a discipling enterprise. If you say that some churches are operating as businesses then they are in the wrong “business.”
Yes, I know that there are some who claim to be Christians and don’t donate (tithes, offerings or other donations) out of the purest motives. Everyone knows that, or at least should.
If the church has to go the route of operating as a Hobby-Lobby type business, and I hope it doesn’t come to that, Sunday school teachers, people who watch the church nurseries will still be viewed as volunteers, while pastors, youth pastors and so on will be seen as employees and will have to pay taxes on their income received from tithes and offerings - just like they already do right now.
The issue is property taxes. If this ends up going the Hobby-Lobby route and churches end up having to pay property taxes, and I hope they don’t, then mega churches will have to take the millions of dollars they have sitting in banks and use that to pay their property taxes.
The small churches (membership of around 100-125 or so people) will keep doing what they are doing, with the pastors holding down full-time jobs and pastoring as usual. What will change is that the tithes and offerings they may take in and add as extra income to their full-time jobs will then go to pay property taxes.
The middle-sized churches (125 up to 1,000 people) will have to go back to the old-time gospel way, like Paul the Apostle, who worked a full-time job and pastored, too. Any income they receive from the church will go to pay the property taxes.
Problem solved! And these churches would then have “Hobby-Lobby” protection.
Ironically, this country was founded by people fleeing that kind of religious oppression.
States establish what property is taxed not federal government.
"Rights" are typically (but not always...) associated with something the Federal Government CAN NOT charge $$ for or REGULATE.
So my argument on several other threads specific to heterosexual couples shunning getting marriage licenses and opting for a RELIGIOUS CEREMONY ONLY would rightfully deny the States any income from the issuance of marriage licenses.
FURTHER, heterosexual couples would only need send proof of marriage (which is a marriage certificate, issued by a Church) to the IRS for purposes of declaring their marriage for income and other Federal taxes. The same would apply to the individual states where the state has an income tax.
So now what will the result be?
First, States will be deprived of TAXES through the dramatic decline of the issuance of Marriage Licenses.
Second, Heterosexual couples AND THE CHURCH(ES) in America will be RE-CLAIMING the term "Marriage" as being the uniting of one man and one woman, blessed by our Creator.
Third, it will completely take the wind out of the radical homosexual progressive leftists who are trying to undermine Christianity in this country.
I think my plan is simple, accomplishable, and short of those states run by Conservative/Republican Governors halting the issuance of marriage licenses, I think it sends a powerful "UP YOURS!!" message to the Supreme Court and the extreme liberal left in this country.
Just my .02.
Well, you were amazingly close! The majority judges in this case did declare it a RIGHT.
So guess what? If it's a RIGHT, then the Fed's can't regulate it, and neither can the States, which means we no longer have to get marriage licenses in ANY state. Period.
So once again, I renew my call for all heterosexual couples who are seeking getting married to tell the state they live in to screw-off, they don't need a marriage license and the religious ceremony in the church of their choice is all that's required.
Now what's the big gay gaystapo going to do?
I would be they’re going to take away tax exemptions for churches that refuse. A form of fine or penalty for not doing it. And Roberts will say “gee that’s fine”.
Kennedy wrote this:
“They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law,” Kennedy wrote of same-sex couples in the case. “The Constitution grants them that right.”
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.