R
Ridgerunner
Guest
It is my impression that the Mormon church is not a tax-exempt organization. Could be wrong, but I have read that. If so, then those tithes are not deductible. But neither would the Mormon church (or anybody) have to pay taxes on a gift. The donor pays taxes on a gift, not the recipient. That applies to everybody, not just that church.It almost seems like JS created himself an elite men’s club, the “temple of the celestial kingdom”, that only the richest of men can afford to join without going broke. How they can get away with charging such a high ‘membership fee’ to be allowed to worship as a full member of any ‘church’ is beyond me. Charity isn’t something that should be mandated, especially not if it’s required before any member is allowed to enter the “temple”. It should be a voluntary gift from the heart.
Since no one really knows for sure if any of that money is even used for charitable purposes, because the church refuses to divulge to anyone how the money is used, it makes it even more incredible. I have to ask one question. Are the members contributions to the church tax deductible? If they are, does the church also expect to get another 10% of those tax refunds, too?
Does anybody really think money does nothing for you in churches other than the Mormon church? Has no one ever asked himself how Ted Kennedy got his annulment after all those years of marriage, children, etc.? His “ex” certainly did not acknowlege it, nor did at least some of his children. One should be very careful about throwing stones because human beings are not above manipulating even churches. Nor are clerical people always above being motivated by money.
On the simplest level possible, what Catholic college does not have a building or scholarship named after some very wealthy person who donated millions? What really old church does not have donors’ names permanently imprinted on the glass? I don’t expect those people thought it guaranteed salvation, but I’m sure they considered that it helped some.
On an even more basic level, I once read the “seating list” of an old ethnic Catholic church near here. The seats were parceled out according to donations given, with the seats closest to the heating stove (this is in the 19th century) going to the highest donors. Still not the same as “buying heaven”, but it has a certain odor about it.
And, of course, we know about abuses in the Catholic Church in times past. Did Tetzel really “sell” indulgences? We don’t know for sure, and can’t. But undoubtedly some clerics did that, just as some Popes sold Cardinalates and bishoprics. And Anglican prelates later did the same thing. If you wanted to be a bishop, you had to pay. Why is “Simony” an excommunicable offense? Obviously because it was a problem at some time or other.
As I have said before, there is little about the Mormon church of which I think highly. But I do think people can get excessive about their criticisms.
Finally, what’s it to me what the Mormon church does with the money it gets? Nobody makes the Baptists account for their money either. If you look around, you can see that a lot of it goes into monster buildings. What else? Nobody knows but their preachers, committees, etc.
Isn’t it more relevant to our current situation to wonder where Obama’s campaign money comes from? Isn’t it more relevant to know where union dues go? Isn’t it more relevant (and perhaps worrisome) to know whose pockets George Soros lines?
Catholic institutions are being forced to fund contraception and abortions, and we’re worried about the Mormons?
