The popular apologetics organization, Catholic Answers, is suing the IRS for intimidating churches and other non-profit groups into remaining silent on controversial social issues like abortion and embryonic stem cell research. You can read more about the lawsuit here.
Saturday, June 6, 2009, 9:34 PM
June 7th, 2009 | 8:56 am
“…For instance, in many cases, Catholic parishioners have been forbidden by their pastors or diocesan leaders to distribute our Voter’s Guide for Serious Catholics…”
The lawsuit aside, since we all know what the IRS is all about knowing our history on tax collectors, I think that whether or not Kerry should approach the alter to receive is a matter between him and his parish priest (A.Bischop Chaput touched on just this in ‘Render Unto Caesar’).
The “pastors or diocesan leaders” have some responsibility here too afterall. In religious matters, they’re not (and we’re not) to answer to the IRS; they’re to answer to Christ.
June 7th, 2009 | 11:51 pm
Why are we even letting the IRS have ANY hold on us? I said long ago that the Catholic Church should just give up its tax exempt status and be “Totally Catholic.”
With all respect to Catholic Answers, it apprears to me that we are fighting the wrong fight. So we pay more taxes. My guess is we will get more followers; being that people respond to truth, especially, “unwatered down” truth.
June 8th, 2009 | 10:38 am
“So we’ll pay more taxes…” This argument is made by people who have no idea how much businesses have to pay in taxes and how much money in donations would go to paying taxes. I own a small business; I know. Right now all donated money goes to the church, not to the government. The amount of increased giving it would take to pay taxes and maintain the current amount of money used by the church is staggering.
The US government allows for this exemption, we should fight for it and to keep government out of church business. Think about it for a minute… Right now the government gets no tax money from all sorts of charities and churches whose aims we do not agree with. We do not want to be at a disadvantage compared to them. And it is no secret that many black churches are politically active — I live down the street from one whose pastor has been a city councilman on numerous occasions, and who endorses all sorts of political issues (though not candidates). They are a non-profit. How can the government turn around and fine a Catholic organization (not even the church) for saying what its leaders think that the Catholic church should do to its own members? Catholics are not bound to do what Catholic Answers says! I am an American citizen and I demand that my church and my organizations be given the same treatment that this pastor/councilman gets.
Links
Blogs
Find Us
Contact