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Religion reduces empathy


jacee

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I don't think donations for any purpose should be taxable. I'm giving money to a cause, I believe in. Government shouldn't be able to take their cut.

Then people will set up charities to fund their purchase of a new vehicle or vacation or whatever. Tax deductions should only be offered for legitimate charities which means there has to be a subjective assessment of what is legitimate and what is not. I am inclined to agree that a lot of the money given to Churches does not meet any reasonable definition of charity but it would be also unfair to suddenly remove those tax deductions. I would rather see a gradual reduction and elimination of the tax credit over 10-20 years.
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I don't believe you're tax exempt from purchasing those ad though. The tax exemption comes about by not having to pay taxes on the donations that are made.

I don't think donations for any purpose should be taxable. I'm giving money to a cause, I believe in. Government shouldn't be able to take their cut.

What's special about "causes" as opposed to other activities that they deserve a special tax status? If anything, people that are obsessed with "causes", whether religious or secular, that tend to cause trouble. While people that just want to fill up their gas tank (or recharge their EV battery) are what keeps society running. We should cut taxes on the every day life of normal people and raise taxes on those who have time to go around trying to convert others.

Edited by Bonam
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I think this is just a definition issue. The pure advancement of religion isn't a charitable act, but most of what traditional churches do I would consider a charitable. The sermons, the community, the fellowship, the counselling, and the traditional community charitable activities all qualify in my opinion.

Provided they are meeting the guidelines of a registered charity, I have no problem with the tax exempt status.

Religion is certainly not necessary and the benefits can be achieved in other groups, but they are valuable to some.

I don't agree about those activities.

The people who want to participate can pay, or raise money to pay for religious activities.

I am comfortable with the natural and accelerating decline in religious participation, we don't need to attempt to tax them.

Some decline, some grow.

.

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I don't believe you're tax exempt from purchasing those ad though. The tax exemption comes about by not having to pay taxes on the donations that are made.

I don't think donations for any purpose should be taxable. I'm giving money to a cause, I believe in. Government shouldn't be able to take their cut.

It's taxable as income to that organization.

Tax exemption is for charities.

Not for (eg) private social, recreational clubs of choice.

Demonstrable charitable work for the community (by churches and others) is a (subsidized) tax exempt benefit to society.

But religious activities and operations for members should not be subsidized, imo.

Their benefits to society are questionable at best.

I would and did even say:

"They raise children to be obedient to authority and punitive to those who think for themselves."

.

Edited by jacee
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Jacee I find your argument differentiating doing something charitable as opposed to simply preaching for the purpose of determining whether it should be tax exempt one makes an interesting legal argument. You've made a clear distinction and one that treats all religions the same.

I do get your point. I don't think its based on malice towards any one religion. You are not that kind of person.

Its an interesting point.

The original reason our tax exemption laws did not and for that matter differentiate between charity work and simply religious preaching is because they did not know how to apply an objective test to differentiate one from the other. I think that is what still is the problem.

Take for example the Salvation Army. It is technically both a charity and a Christian denomination. Its inextricably linked. How would you define its tax exemption? That's an example of the legal problem one would face. How would you know when its only religion and its no longer charitable work? So I get your point Jacee just not sure if you could put it in practice without unintentionally shutting down some of the beneficial charitable work.

Also keep in mind the little Nazis you are talking about don't just come about from blind obedience of religion.

You know how many young people today are caught up in blind obedience but its not all from being Catholic or Protestant or Muslim or Jewish right? I believe young people today don't read stories, and don't use their hands to build and grow thing,....they don't engage in art, music and sports, all vital in developing the part of the brain needed to nurture and develop critical thinking.

. I say that because we are cutting that all out of school. Those things, art, music, reading, writing, even writing with a pen, physical activity, all develop the part of the brain that allows you to think abstractly and question.

Now we've replaced that by putting kids in front of computers that bark out what they are to repeat and think and removed the exercises that once made us active and critical and replaced it with passivity and spectator behaviour, i.e., sitting in front of computer that does our thinking.

The modern computerized world is raising attention deficit robots, complacent zombies. Adding to that is we've eroded away the time at home with family that used to teach us our moral and ethical values. Instead that's done in class or in before or after school activities where kids are indoctrinated now by society not their families and any family traditions have been replaced with what the curriculum says.

You ask me computer technology has replaced religion as the way to control the masses and turn brains to mush.

Get people out and working with their hands, using their creative senses, imagining, envisoning, desgning and building things anything.

Hell get kids out and have them plant and garden, ride horses, clean animal pens, run, look after animals, paint build, climb a mountain, Then compare them with kids in front of the computer all day.

My generation may have its problem with tyrannical religions, but yours Jacee has an even more pervasive negative influence-this God you call a cellphone/computer.

Regards

The Catankerous old fart who will not use cell phone and still reads and rides horses bareback in lakes and

can still camp without bringing a mobile command centre with him, just a canoe and a sleeping bag.

Religion yes still is an opium of the masses but computers and cell phones are the new opiums.

Edited by Rue
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