“I had to go on TV with the president of the Catholic League, which is not an official organization at all, just a lot of Catholics, or maybe it's just this guy. He demanded to de-fund art completely and argued that taxpayers should not pay for it. I said people who represent the Catholic Church shouldn't talk about taxes.” PeopleShouldArtSaidGuyPresidentChurchPayTvsGoes OnTaxesOrganizationCatholicLeagueOfficialsFundThis GuyTaxpayersCatholic Church Author:Fran Lebowitz
“What government supports, government controls. This is an ancient axiom repeatedly ratified by experience. . . . Indeed, as is well known, acceptance of tax aid has led to the secularization of many church-related colleges and universities.” WellsStatesGovernmentChurchKnownSupportAcceptanceCollegeTaxesUniversityAncientAidsRelatedWell KnownAxiomsColleges And Universities Book:Church schools & public money: the politics of parochiaid Source: Church schools & public money: the politics of parochiaid
“Churches are tax exempt because they are supposed to provide a public good. To prove that good to the IRS, churches arent supposed to hoard their money. They are supposed to spend it on goods and services for the faithful. Under this pretense, the church has made massive investments in tax free real estate all over the world. And when it comes to labor costs, they are almost free.” WorldMadeRealChurchCostProveTaxesLaborInvestmentFaithfulMassiveGoodsEstatesPretenseIrsPublic GoodGoods And Services Author:Lawrence Wright
“I did not worry about what a man or woman personally believed, but the nation's official religion should be outwardly practiced by all its citizens. A religion was a political statement. Being a Calvinist, a papist, a Presbyterian, an Anglican labeled a person's philosophy on education, taxes, poor relief, and other secular things. The nation needed an accepted position on such concerns. Hence the fines for not outwardly conforming to the national church.” MenShouldPersonsPhilosophyPoliticalNationsChurchPoorWorryPositionFineNeededCitizensTaxesConcernAcceptedStatementsOfficialsReliefSecularConformPresbyterians Book:Elizabeth I Source: Elizabeth I
“Why should an atheist pay more taxes so that a church which he despises should pay no taxes? That's a fair question. How can the apologists for the church exemption answer it?” ShouldChurchAnswersPayTaxesFairsAtheistDespiseExemption Author:E. Haldeman-Julius
“John Marshall's warning that the power to tax is the power to destroy has taken on far greater meaning... more specifically, the power of the Internal Revenue Service is threatening to destroy the freedom of religion , guaranteed by the First Amendment. As part of that guarantee, Congress has granted tax exemptions for churches to avoid excessive interference in their religious activities.” FirstsChristianChurchReligiousTakenGreaterActivityTaxesCongressGrantedGuaranteesInternalsWarningAmendmentsThreateningRevenueFirst AmendmentInterferenceFreedom Of ReligionExemption Author:Chuck Grassley
“Christians today are forced to support, with their tax money, the establishment of another religious faith that stands opposed to everything they believe. The new state church has taken the form of the public school.” BelieveStatesTodaySchoolChristianFormChurchReligiousSupportTakenTaxesEstablishmentPublic SchoolReligious Faith Author:Benjamin Hart
“What James Madison and the other men of his generation had in mind when they wrote the First Amendment was that there should be no official relationship of any character between government and any church or many churches, and no levying of taxes for the support of any church, or many churches, or all churches, or any institution conducted by any of them.” MenShouldMindFirstsCharacterGovernmentChurchSupportGenerationsAtheismTaxesInstitutionsPositive AtheismOfficialsAmendmentsFirst AmendmentMadison Author:Sam Ervin
“I believe in a wall between church and state so high that no one can climb over it. When religion controls government, political liberty dies; and when government controls religion, religious liberty perishes. Every American has the constitutional right not to be taxed or have his tax money expended for the establishment of religion. For too long the issue of government aid to church related organizations has been a divisive force in our society and in the Congress. It has erected communication barriers among our religions and fostered intolerance.” BelieveLongHas BeensStatesGovernmentPoliticalDiesForceI BelieveChurchReligiousLibertyIssuesAtheismCommunicationWallTaxesOrganizationCongressI Believe InAidsRelatedClimbsOur SocietyBarriersOver ItEstablishmentIntoleranceChurch And StateReligious LibertyGovernment Aid Author:Sam Ervin