The Religion Thread

[Mr.B]

"I know someone that joined a church in order to get a chunk of money off of a gym membership. Is that a sin or just laudable thrift and proper care for the body God gave him?"

"What if one were to join a church just to get into heaven though?"

"Happens every day. Most religious folk believe God is that easy to fool."

And how would you happen to know that "happens every day"? I'm sure you're sitting in a church somewhere every Sunday and observing?

It's not "most religious folks", Boatrocker; just those who suddenly "find religion" in a catastrophe; 9/11 comes to mind.
Churches all over the country suddenly started filling up; three months later (±) they were back to regular attendees.

[Mr.B]

"Someone told me once that they were looking for a church that had a good sports program for his kids.
I believe in reality, he was looking for a Sundays and Wednesdays babysitter."

"Yup. That's not the sort of thing you can fix by shuffling him to a different unsuspecting parish."

Well, I don't know anything about parishes.

There are large mega-churches that support or sponsor various sports venues for children and teens; complete with uniforms and pricey equipment. That, in my opinion, and the opinion of many Bible-grounded pastors, is not the purpose of a church.

If children and teens have to be enticed to attend church for the sports programs, or various other venues to keep their attention, (or attendance) the message of a loving and saving God is not being properly preached.

[Vrede too]

I know someone that joined a church in order to get a chunk of money off of a gym membership. Is that a sin or just laudable thrift and proper care for the body God gave him?

What if one were to join a church just to get into heaven though?

"Heaven" is a lovely name for a woman that likes guys that go to church.

[JTA]

I know someone that joined a church in order to get a chunk of money off of a gym membership. Is that a sin or just laudable thrift and proper care for the body God gave him?

What if one were to join a church just to get into heaven though?

"Heaven" is a lovely name for a woman that likes guys that go to church.

Mr. B was that a dirty joke?

[O Really]

According to Belinda Carlisle, "Heaven is a Place on Earth"... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOGEyBeoBGM

Lyrics here... nice song.
http://www.lyricsfreak.com/b/belinda+ca ... 16285.html

[Mr.B]

"Mr. B was that a dirty joke?"

Depends on how you take it. There is this old song though; keep in mind this is a father/daughter team singing it;
that fact in itself could be construed as a dirty joke....

[Bungalow Bill]

For the Talking Heads, Heaven turned out
to be a rather dull though peaceful place.

[Vrede too]

2008:

[rstrong]

First Church of Cannabis wins IRS nonprofit status

Emotions appeared sky high at the newly formed First Church of Cannabis, after the Internal Revenue Service granted it nonprofit status.
[...]
The designation means donors to the church can deduct their gifts on their federal tax returns as charitable and the church would be eligible for a property tax exemption in Indiana.

I'm wondering if the rich - and corporations since they're people too - will soon start their own churches in large numbers for the property tax exemptions.

[Vrede too]

... Levin, the self-appointed "minister of love," formed the church this year partly as a means to test the state's new Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which offers protections against the government infringing on religious practices.

Levin plans his first official church service July 1 — the day RFRA becomes law — where his members will follow blessings by smoking marijuana in what he describes as a religous practice....

Cons reap what they sow.

[O Really]

I had forgotten "Heaven's Just a Sin Away" and now it's an earwig. But the interesting part about "The Kendalls" relationship isn't just in the song. Jeannie may or many not have had close relationships with other men or women, but no husband or relationship is mentioned on her website bio or anywhere else a cursory search turned up. Neither is her mother noted as playing any part in her career/life past her teen years. But she and "Daddy" built houses close together in Branson when they slowed their road tours. After his unexpected death, there is much written about her adjustment, but nothing about any people close to her who helped. And most of her songs had a cheating theme, not unusual in country music, but still... None about actual divorce or similar country themes, though. Lots of "sin."

[O Really]

First Church of Cannabis wins IRS nonprofit status

Emotions appeared sky high at the newly formed First Church of Cannabis, after the Internal Revenue Service granted it nonprofit status.
[...]
The designation means donors to the church can deduct their gifts on their federal tax returns as charitable and the church would be eligible for a property tax exemption in Indiana.

I'm wondering if the rich - and corporations since they're people too - will soon start their own churches in large numbers for the property tax exemptions.

Been done. http://www.citizen-times.com/story/news ... /26320925/

[Mr.B]

Been done. Tax Exempts

"In Black Mountain, Mayor Sobol said he doesn't think religious institutions should be allowed to exempt all of their facilities.

"I belong to the second-largest landholder in the United States, the Catholic Church," he said. But it shouldn't matter the type of religious institution, Sobol said, only the church building itself, parsonage and an educational building should be able to avoid paying their share."


I highly agree. Too many religious organizations, including churches, are now run like a business rather than a place of worship. Jesus said to "render unto Caesar what is Caesar's"; this means any property owner that benefits from the services provided by the city, county, or state. Government entities have no way to generate a cash flow; therefore taxes, cursed though they may be, are necessary to pay for salaries, equipment to maintain, etc. Churches and many of the entities listed in O Really's link are taking advantage of the system; and this area is just a teensy percentage of the deadbeats that hide behind a "tax-exempt" status.

I believe that if this country enforced it's tax statutes, and everyone, including big business paid a fair share of taxes, our country would have little or no cash deficit.

Paul Harvey had an interesting article a number of years ago that dealt with taxes. I looked all over the internet for it, but couldn't locate it.

He berated big companies for not paying their fair share, stating that if everyone paid a 14% tax rate, regardless of income or net profits, our country would be debt free in an X number of years. There would be no need for corporate tax lawyers to find every deduction, just honest bookkeeping to keep tabs on cash flow and figure the taxes and pay them.

It's going to get worse before it gets better.

[Mr.B]

"I'm wondering if the rich - and corporations since they're people too - will soon start their own churches in large numbers for the property tax exemptions."

Weird. All the definitions I found for "church" were similar to the following:
1 : a building for public worship and especially Christian worship
2 : often capitalized : an organized body of religious believers
3 : public worship

If "Pot-Smokers United" can get an exemption by calling it a church, anything's possible.

[Mr.B]

"I had forgotten "Heaven's Just a Sin Away" and now it's an earwig. But the interesting part about "The Kendalls" relationship isn't just in the song. Jeannie may or many not have had close relationships with other men or women, but no husband or relationship is mentioned on her website bio or anywhere else a cursory search turned up. Neither is her mother noted as playing any part in her career/life past her teen years. But she and "Daddy" built houses close together in Branson when they slowed their road tours. After his unexpected death, there is much written about her adjustment, but nothing about any people close to her who helped. And most of her songs had a cheating theme, not unusual in country music, but still... None about actual divorce or similar country themes, though. Lots of "sin."

I had run across something recently about the Kendalls and remembered this song and the unusualness of the lyrics. I too, could find none of the things you've mentioned above; a mother, boyfriend, husband etc. I thought that was mighty weird.

I remembered some of the comments on the YouTube video though; pasted here:

"A memorable toe-tapper, but just the same, there is something slightly unseemly about a father-and-daughter singing act doing a song about an illicit motel room hook-up. Still a great song though."

"I never realized this was a cheating song."

"Anyone else find it a little disturbing to know that it is a father and daughter singing this song?"

"I love this song but it is very disturbing !!"

"Ah, nothing like a father and daughter singing about sex together."

"A song about someone considering adultery....yeah, it wouldn't be on my list of songs to sing to Jesus. Lol."

[Colonel Taylor]

Been done. Tax Exempts

"In Black Mountain, Mayor Sobol said he doesn't think religious institutions should be allowed to exempt all of their facilities.

"I belong to the second-largest landholder in the United States, the Catholic Church," he said. But it shouldn't matter the type of religious institution, Sobol said, only the church building itself, parsonage and an educational building should be able to avoid paying their share."


I highly agree. Too many religious organizations, including churches, are now run like a business rather than a place of worship. Jesus said to "render unto Caesar what is Caesar's"; this means any property owner that benefits from the services provided by the city, county, or state. Government entities have no way to generate a cash flow; therefore taxes, cursed though they may be, are necessary to pay for salaries, equipment to maintain, etc. Churches and many of the entities listed in O Really's link are taking advantage of the system; and this area is just a teensy percentage of the deadbeats that hide behind a "tax-exempt" status.

I believe that if this country enforced it's tax statutes, and everyone, including big business paid a fair share of taxes, our country would have little or no cash deficit.

Paul Harvey had an interesting article a number of years ago that dealt with taxes. I looked all over the internet for it, but couldn't locate it.

He berated big companies for not paying their fair share, stating that if everyone paid a 14% tax rate, regardless of income or net profits, our country would be debt free in an X number of years. There would be no need for corporate tax lawyers to find every deduction, just honest bookkeeping to keep tabs on cash flow and figure the taxes and pay them.

It's going to get worse before it gets better.

The town I lived in in NJ had some of the highest property taxes in the NE and I had a neighbor who claimed his house was a church, took an on-line course and became a minister/preacher, installed a cross over his front door, made a few extra parking spots and had service on his front lawn on Sundays in the summer and in his living room the rest of the year. Pulled it off for a few years but he may still be in jail.....

[Mr.B]

"I had forgotten "Heaven's Just a Sin Away" and now it's an earwig."

What's an "earwig"...in the sense you've used it?

[Vrede too]

“Good people make mistakes.” -- Mike Huckabee

Duggar Family Scrubbed From Mike Huckabee’s Campaign Website

I guess good webmasters make mistakes.

[JTA]

Been done. Tax Exempts

"In Black Mountain, Mayor Sobol said he doesn't think religious institutions should be allowed to exempt all of their facilities.

"I belong to the second-largest landholder in the United States, the Catholic Church," he said. But it shouldn't matter the type of religious institution, Sobol said, only the church building itself, parsonage and an educational building should be able to avoid paying their share."


I highly agree. Too many religious organizations, including churches, are now run like a business rather than a place of worship. Jesus said to "render unto Caesar what is Caesar's"; this means any property owner that benefits from the services provided by the city, county, or state. Government entities have no way to generate a cash flow; therefore taxes, cursed though they may be, are necessary to pay for salaries, equipment to maintain, etc. Churches and many of the entities listed in O Really's link are taking advantage of the system; and this area is just a teensy percentage of the deadbeats that hide behind a "tax-exempt" status.

I believe that if this country enforced it's tax statutes, and everyone, including big business paid a fair share of taxes, our country would have little or no cash deficit.

Paul Harvey had an interesting article a number of years ago that dealt with taxes. I looked all over the internet for it, but couldn't locate it.

He berated big companies for not paying their fair share, stating that if everyone paid a 14% tax rate, regardless of income or net profits, our country would be debt free in an X number of years. There would be no need for corporate tax lawyers to find every deduction, just honest bookkeeping to keep tabs on cash flow and figure the taxes and pay them.

It's going to get worse before it gets better.

The town I lived in in NJ had some of the highest property taxes in the NE and I had a neighbor who claimed his house was a church, took an on-line course and became a minister/preacher, installed a cross over his front door, made a few extra parking spots and had service on his front lawn on Sundays in the summer and in his living room the rest of the year. Pulled it off for a few years but he may still be in jail.....

If the body is a temple, and a temple is a church, I should be exempt from paying taxes.

[Vrede too]

... installed a cross over his front door ...

If the body is a temple, and a temple is a church, I should be exempt from paying taxes.

Close enough.