California Girl
Rookie
- Oct 8, 2009
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- Banned
- #121
Links please to the Catholic Church being the largest charitable organisation.
I agree with regard to comments about taxes, but it bugs me that an organisation like Scientology gets the exemption. Then again, maybe they do charity work....
You may call it childish, but I find the church's stance on priests and nuns pathetic. You may also call it childish, but it was one of the reasons for the reformation and Henry the VIII splitting from the Catholic Church (albeit a minor one, as his libido was the main cause of that little skirmish). It is both unnatural and pathetic to expect humans to be celibate....
There are many things that I - as a Catholic - have an issue with regarding my Church, but, frankly, unless you are Catholic, I fail to see why it is anyone's business. I don't expect you to live according to my standards, and it would be great if you recognized that you don't have the right to expect others to live to yours. Priests and nuns all accept celibacy as part of their calling. It is their business - not mine, not yours. In short, mind you own business about how they choose to live. Simple.
I agree about 'religions' such as Scientology. But, frankly, I'd rather they get tax exempt status than do the untold amounts of damage to society that forcing all churches to pay taxes would do. If the Churches paid taxes, then they would not be able to do the huge amount of support and aid to our most vulnerable. To me, that outweighs any argument for the taxes. God knows (pun intended) that the Churches spend money better than the Government ever could.
As for a link, the only one that I deem legitimate is one that you would dismiss, because it comes from the Church itself.
Oh, and before you hold the Red Cross up as a shining example... it is an unfair comparison - for the Red Cross. Because it pays its employees - frankly, I am stunned that it pays so much in salaries - particular to it's CEO, but that's just me. I like my charities to be voluntary - not paid.
Well it becomes everybody's business when these priests interfere with kids, which an inordinant amount do. I don't honestly think a lot of them are wired to be pedophiles, but being celibate causes them to lose it a little when it comes to sex and they do dispicable things. So, you are wrong. It is other peoples' business in that regard.
I agree with the red cross - bad example on my part. And you are right, I wouldn't believe the Catholic Church's own website, even if it were notorised.
Yeah, I think it would be better to deregister Scientology's tax exempt status than other religous organisations. That aside, I would love to have been in the room when it was decided they were a bona fide religion. I wonder if I start the religion of "Grump" that I can become tax exempt. I write too, and I bet I can come up with something more believable than Thetans jumping into volcanos...
Again, less than 1%. Don't get me wrong - I want each and every pedophile (and, hey, I can even spell the word!) excommunicated from my Church and thrown in prison. ALL of them. But... again, it is less than 1% of priests that are accused. It's an issue - and a hugely important one (certainly to Catholics) but it is disingenuous to present it as ALL priests, or the majority of priest.
Honestly, I was surprised that you gave the Red Cross as an example. I like the charity - I've donated to them.... because they do vital work, but they do use donations to pay staff and that, to me, makes them an irrelevant comparison to the Church.
I'm totally with you re Scientology though. That's not a religion - it's a business... and a load of bullshit. But I am not that well informed about their 'faith' so I am open to changing my view.