Holy Land exemption is in (Jeb) Bush's hands now

it's a theme park, not a freakin' Church. :grr:

:D

This is the way many businesses get around anti-discrimination laws, too.

Example, when I was living in Kentucky...we passed some municipal-level anti-discrimination laws. The Kentucky Baptist Home for Children turned around and violated that law, by firing a lesbian caretaker at one of their orphanages.

It was later revealed that KBHC only got TWO LOUSY PERCENT of it's funding from the Baptists...and the rest from the STATE...and they tried to use the name, and that 2 percent, to be allowed to circumvent local legislation they didn't like.

Same idea here.

Fucking assholes. I think churches damned well ought to be taxed! ESPECIALLY if they engage in any sort of political activity, or if they even COMMENT on public policy. Let 'em pay their fuckin' admission price, like everyone else, if they want a voice in public policy...tax 'em!!

if a religious institution truly wants to devote itself to serving the Greater Good, fine and dandy. However, if they operate for a profit, and want to be political, at that point they become a business, just like any other business, IMO.

Let the churches not pay tax on the sanctuary - the actual church building - or on charity-related properties, such as soup-kitchens and thrift-stores. Tax them at normal rates for EVERYTHING ELSE. Anything that is beyond the direct mission of their preaching, or of giving charity, is a business and should be taxed at business rates INCLUDING their schools, their rental properties and undeveloped properties.

I've often wondered, do they pay vehicle taxes on their fleets of vehicles, the vans and busses?

The popular story about Henry VIII was that he broke with the church over his divorce -- but the real story is that after the break he confiscated thousands of properties that the church had been acquiring for centuries and while he left the Church of England the churches and monasteries, and distributes many properties to his nobles, bribing them to stick with him on it, most he kept for the crown, making the British royals the wealthiest family in Europe.

Then, as now, most churches are economic enterprises which are granted special dispensation because of peoples' superstitions.

The theme park should, too. But I don't think churches should and I think that their vehicles should be exempt, too. Most of those buses and vans are used to pick up the elderly, those without cars, and the handicapped for services. Some churches use them for jobs programs, to get poor people to their jobs in cities like Detroit, that have awful public transportation. They also use those vehicles to bring food donations from their parishioners to places to give them out to the poor, and other similar outreach functions.

But, yeah, Zondervan's has to pay taxes, because they make a profit from printing and selling christian books. I think the same should apply to christian theme parks and christian broadcasters.

but I'm willing to at least extend the benefit of the doubt to a group who is interested in aiding people with their spirituality.

Spirituality isn't the problem really. It's the "aid" part that gets a littly murky. I saw a movie once where these two guys are down in a coal mine and suddenly the canary in the cage starts to twitter and there's a cave-in. Just in the nick of time the younger man pulls the older one out of harms way, as the tunnel fills up where they were standing moments before. Immediately the old man pulls free from the younger man's grip and challenges him indignantly saying, "Who do you think you're saving?"

I'm almost always willing to give an individual the benefit of the doubt at first - groups not so much.

Besides, I have to ask myself - what self-respecting group would want the benefit of my doubt?

Ya know what I mean?
:+
J

I'm catchin' your wave...:think: :smoke: :hippie:

:wow:
I'm not a hippie acually. I just play one on the internet.

The Church of (insert you name)

"Who are we supposed to believe, you or our own eyes?" paraphrasing Groucho Marx.

Clearly the product of a diseased mind. How does one 'experience' the Holy Land in Florida? Do visitors get to stone 'castmembers?' Can you pay to have yourself crucified? How much does the 'Last Supper' cost for a family of four?

What's next? Buddah's Raging Waters?

and it got crushed right away by a nasty hurricane. :)

Rp

as long as it was just this stupid place that got flattened...along with a bunch of Repukes. As long as none of OUR PEOPLE...the GOOD PEOPLE...the DEMOCRATS...as long as none of US get hurt or victimized by it, then yeah!

I hate Repukes...I want them to suffer like they have caused others to suffer!

The argument that it is a business seems pretty sound, IMO. I'd lay odds there are business, marketing and expansion/development plans. I'd also lay odds that these plans clearly show it is 'for profit'. I wonder what their mission statement is and what section they've identified with in the tax code.

Does The Holy Land Experience accept donations?
The Holy Land Experience is a not-for-profit Christian organization. Ticket prices do not fully cover the cost of our ministry endeavors. If you are blessed by what you see on your visit and would like to make a tax-deductible donation to help with our ministry so that others may be blessed by the exhibits and presentations, please stop by Guest Services in the Jerusalem Market. You may also make a donation online.

http://www.theholylandexperience.com/abouthle/faqs.html

And be sure and visit the tomb while your there...

are indicted, the evidence will show that the managers were skimming, fleecing the flock, and there was never any intent to do otherwise.

Any bets?

Maybe Disney World should be Tax Exempt too!:banghead: :crazy:

they pay NO TAXES!!!
:argh:

:rofl: :rofl:

Not for prophet...er, profit? Yeah, right. I'd like to see the homes of CEO and other corporate officers of this "non-profit organization." As well as their annual tax statements.

Oh, I forgot...if they're bona-fide religious non-profits, they don't even have to FILE tax statements. At least that used to be the case. Being an Angry Whackjob Atheist myself, I once called the IRS and asked about the tax accountability of religious non-profits (like the Calvary Chapel franchise in Southern California). The short answer: there isn't any.

BTW, I'm living not too far from the real Holy Land Experience right now, in Egypt. Funny, it looks nothing like Florida. For one thing, there are too many swarthy, non-Xian characters wandering around loose.