The Lord Will Provide, Right?

Churches and other places of worship clamor for tax exemption as if it's a God-given right. Then, when there are real-world consequences to their coveted tax-exempt status, they find it all wholly surprising (and probably terribly unfair).

Some people recently laid-off from religious institutions in Virginia said they were shocked

— just shocked! —

to find the state does not offer them unemployment benefits. Carol Bronson, who was laid off from her secretarial job at Temple Emanuel synagogue in Virginia Beach, said she was told her unemployment claim was denied because the tax exemptions for religious organizations under Virginia law include an exemption from paying unemployment taxes.

May I suggest to my religious friends that they play the tiny instrument above?

Comments

[hermesten]

There is no bigger bunch of cry babies, whiners, self-proclaimed victims, and moral relativists, than American Christians.

[Aaron Kinney]

HAHAHAHAHA I love that pic!

[gb]

Makes sense that one might be surprised - the institution is exempt from taxes, generally not the pay of the individual.

Few of us look at every jot and tittle of the amounts taken out of our paycheck, we just mentally calculate - yep, about 30% gone again after fed, state, city, fica, etc.

[Mike]

"There is no bigger bunch of cry babies, whiners, self-proclaimed victims, and moral relativists, than American Christians."

Wait I thought we could blame this one on the Jews. It was a synagogue after all. I do see how the secratary could be caught unaware here. After all if you read the article the CEO of the Synagogue didn't even know she wouldn't get unemployment and he was the one responsible for using the tax dodge.

What is amusing is the hypocrisy. I thought the primary purpose of religious groups was to take care of your flock and teach people how to treat others with respect. I guess that training doesn't count for much compared to saving a few bucks on taxes.

[Jeff Wiebe]

I'm a believer in Christ.

I don't agree with churches incorporating or ministers being licensed by the state to perform marriages. In my view this puts both church and state in an untenable position.

In my view if the state wants to encourage churches to exist and therefore simply gives churches tax-free status, or allow them to be charitable donation destinations, that's their affair. But for any religious organization to accept any authority of any state in order to gain any advantage is way off.

[Rogier]

"Wait I thought we could blame this one on the Jews. It was a synagogue after all."

Not really. Click on the link in the post and you'll see that Christian churches are "victims" of the tax-exempt status, too. Given how many synagogues there are in Virginia versus how many churches, I venture to guess that the handwringing and howling are most pronounced among the Jesus crowd.

[Mike]

Sorry I forgot my humor meta tag. My comment was just amusement that hermesten was commenting it was a christian issue when the linked article was primarily related to a synagogue. They are all the same to me. Jews/Christians/Satanists I don't care what religion it is, its all pretty much the same.

[hermesten]

Hey Mike, I got your point, but after a momentary internalized doh! I reconsidered my statement and concluded it is still true (regardless of the fact that the particular article pertained to a synagogue): there is no bigger bunch of moral relativists, whiners, cry babies, and self-proclaimed victims than American Xtians.

[Mike]

Oh I am not doubting your statement, I just found great humor in this context. I can't help it I'm easily amused. Heck I'd completely stipulate that the tax-exemption was probably enacted with by and for Christians. But that level of thinking is too deep for me.

Not to say I exempt the Synagogue here, if the Religious Institution followed the proper moral course dictated by their own teachings this story probably wouldn't have made the news.