I don't think any religious organization should be exempt from taxes, whether it's Scientology, Christianity or Islam. If people give it money, it's a business.

Why? Is there a reason the govt needs church money? Really, is there a good reason for half of our taxes?

If they charge money it is a business, if they donate money it is a charity.

My question is: Why?

Does scientology run a business? Or is this just sour grapes against a cult?

Both.

Scientology is like a tax exempt pseudo religious mafia.



-They are well known for viciously attacking all who critic their church.

-They require thousands of dollars before they will let you read all of their 'texts'.

-They have their own investigative branch hired strickly to spy on their critics.

-They tear families apart by keeping their members from talking to anyone who isn't in the church.

And don't get me started on the sea orgs.

Edit: Forgot to mention the incident where they broke into American archives to destroy negative records of the church.

Ah yes, project Snow White.

A good source of information lately seems to be


On the other hand, the linked article seems to be a proposal from the Republican National Convention, and nothing passed by the state of Texas, unless the link has been modified since its original posting.

Yes, unfortunately nothing has been set in stone just yet.

There's a restaurant in Seattle where there are no prices listed on the menu. None. You order your food of the menu, enjoy it, then give what you like or what you feel it was worth. Either $100 or nothing at all. Nobody checks, nobody complains. It's a beautiful system and they claim that they actually get more revenue this way.

Just wondering if they should be allowed to claim charitable status...

No they shouldn't because it isn't charity. If you go to any restaraunt, dislike the food and complain you can almost always get your meal comp'd - it's a business measure. They don't want one bad meal to keep you from coming back nor do they want you spreading bad publicity since the restaraunt industry is highly competitive and often gets business via word of mouth. The restaraunt you mention is a business - most people do pay and expect to pay in some amount and it's not a donation, it's compensation for a service.

I'm all for Scientology paying taxes though because they charge fees to become a part of it (ex: to read the texts which are key to most any religion). Besides the fact that I just don't like them, it definately gives off the cult vibe more than a religious community.

I think there is a good reason for all of my taxes. Health care, education, social services.... I'd happily pay a bit more in tax to see our military plumped up a bit. I don't understand why so many people have such a phobia of taxes.
If the manage to accure ridiculous sums of money, why not tax a church? If the church can demonstrate that the majority of the funds goes to helping people in need, then I'm all for them not paying taxes. If they spend the money on big freakin' lasers and a sound system and a church that's the size of a minor hockey arena... then it sounds more like a business to me. There are three giant evangelical whatever churches in my area, and all of them have giant flashy signs outside, and they all advertise in the newspaper all of the time. Hmm - advertising sounds like something businesses do, no?

It's frustrating to see one group of people exempt from paying the taxes we all pay because they're a "religious organization," so they can go out and by nice, new farm machinery. It makes me tempted to start my own religion so I can find myself exempt from taxes, and I could spend that extra 35% of my income as I please.

Why Scientology and not every other religion?

Also, why do you refuse to call Scientology a "religious community?"

There is a mega-ultra-galactic evangelical penetecostal church a few blocks from where I live. A friend bribed me to go one sunday years ago, and when I walked in there were people rolling around on the floor screaming and some scary-lookin' preacher wearing big gold and sliver chains around his neck like some wigger and people were throwing money into pots crying "I'm healed, I feel his love.."
How is this not a cult and different from Scientology?

A religion is just a cult with more people. The only reason that other people don't see it this way is because they've been trained to be "tolerant" of the bigger groups of crazy people.

I'm waiting for the Scientology version of Jamestown.

Why does this happen every time? Is this going to turn into another religious debate? It will just be the same religious/non-religious people saying the same things that have been said in the past. I cannot "convert" someone any more than they can "un-convert" me. Why not be the bigger person and just refrain from hijacking another thread?

Go ahead and downvote me. I wouldn't expect anything less.

If you know absolutely that your opinion will never change, you are close-minded. While I admit that it is unlikely that someone will change my mind, I will also admit that it is possible. That's why I take part in these debates.

There is absolutely no difference in the business model that the restaurant that I mentioned uses and a church. I'm not talking about regular restaurants, which charge for a service, I'm talking about this one specific one which doesn't charge for food and suggests non-compulsory donations. Besides, the 'offering' is compensation for a service too (no pun intended).

The restaurant's got that specific business model to try to pay for the rent and give the owner a wage to live on. How is that *any* different than your average church? In which case, either the restaurant should be able to get charitable status, or churches shouldn't.

If this measure got on the Republican's Platform all the way to the presidency - do you think it would make some Obama supporters vote for McCain? Or do you think it would make McCain supporters vote for Obama?

Just curious...

It wouldn't ever get that far, because tax exempt statuses are state-level decisions, not federal.

I'll be shocked if it actually passes.

Why? Because tax-exempt statuses are given for several reasons, the big one is that you are providing a service free of charge (or at minimal cost). The service that the church of Scientology is giving is a chance for its followers to learn more. Kinda like a school. Schools have tax-exempt status. Private schools have tax-exempt status. It's more about the reason you go to the "business" rather than whether or not you pay to go there.

1) I never said that I was cool with every other religion

2) I won't consider scientology to be a religious community because I think it's a cult. To me, that makes a difference.

I'm sorry but I don't see how this refutes what I said before. I would be very interested to see how that restaraunt would react to you going in and eating everyday but never paying. A church on the other hand, wouldn't close it's doors to you. They opperate on different models.