Catholic leadership is on a roll

[cybrsage]

I've got no problem with that, but I have a HUGE problem with these de facto political entities having their income exempted as charities. Our taxes are effectively subsidizing their political messages and I don't like that one bit-nor is it the least bit fair.

I agree, unions are a big offender in this. They are tax exempt.

 

[werepossum]

The Bishop's comments are generally accurate. However, any comparison to Hitler and to a lesser degree to Stalin is inherently flawed because their defining characteristics are overwhelmingly not their war on religion. And while I do not support the imperial federal government forcing the various Catholic Church's enterprises to provide free health care, that's a pretty big divide from closing them down.

 

[CycloWizard]

Government may at times impinge on freedoms, but it doesn't mean that everyone who claims impingement is actually being abused.

This is a very clear-cut case of government imposing completely arbitrary rules which obviously conflict with the values of a large portion of the population. How can you justify mandating insurance coverage for contraception but not dental coverage? It's absurd.

Not taxing someone who earns income is indeed a subsidy. How can it not be?

That's not what a subsidy is. What is it with people just making up new meanings for words this week? Must be my "low level education" where I actually learned to use a dictionary and that words have real meanings.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

This is a very clear-cut case of government imposing completely arbitrary rules which obviously conflict with the values of a large portion of the population. How can you justify mandating insurance coverage for contraception but not dental coverage? It's absurd.

I agree with you somewhat on this point, but we've ALWAYS separated medical, dental and vision into different things. That's why we have different schools for physicians, dentists and ophthalmologists. I've worked jobs where I get medical and vision but no dental. My current insurance is medical with no dental or vision. Ideally, they'd all be together, but the current method of insuring is treating them all as different types of medical care.

 

[LunarRay]

As a youth secreted away in a Catholic Academy my major fault was being a student of the obvious.

I would ask the Nuns or Jesuit Brothers questions like: Why would the church sell indulgences to rich folks so they could get out of purgatory early? A typical response might be: Well, you could get indulgences back then and even today by wearing a scapular and/or doing the Stations of the Cross.

Never deal directly with a question that leads to a broader one.

The Catholic Church has never ever ever been as important to the soul of a person as the person's faith in God.

The Catholic Church has moved its focus from its original purpose to something Jesus himself admonished us not to do... "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's ..." in context means that Jesus would not answer the question put to him... He was not about to deal with government policy or defeat the oppressors bu, rather, he was about salvation.

Salvation of the flock is what the Church ought to be focused on to the exclusion of any other thing.
For a bishop to opine in such a vile manner toward anyone let alone the President of a country is beyond the pale of decent and functional behavior. Let him sell off the church assets and clothe the naked and feed the hungry. That is a noble endeavor and one Jesus would give a thumbs up to...

 

[Thump553]

Government is impinging on personal freedoms and you want to penalize entities that stand up to said government by forcing them to subsidize that infringement. Not taxing someone is not a subsidy. We are not the property of our government. It's scary how many people here seem to think that we are (or, scarier still, should be) subjects rather than citizens.

The tax exempt entities are utilizing and enjoying many things paid for by our taxes-like police protection, fire protection, highways, military protection, disaster relief, etc. while not paying a cent for them because they are tax exempt. We the taxpayers ARE subsidizing their organization and lifestyles, something that moron proves is quite an offensive burden to bear.

 

[Binarycow]

As a youth secreted away in a Catholic Academy my major fault was being a student of the obvious.

I would ask the Nuns or Jesuit Brothers questions like: Why would the church sell indulgences to rich folks so they could get out of purgatory early? A typical response might be: Well, you could get indulgences back then and even today by wearing a scapular and/or doing the Stations of the Cross.

Never deal directly with a question that leads to a broader one.

The Catholic Church has never ever ever been as important to the soul of a person as the person's faith in God.

The Catholic Church has moved its focus from its original purpose to something Jesus himself admonished us not to do... "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's ..." in context means that Jesus would not answer the question put to him... He was not about to deal with government policy or defeat the oppressors bu, rather, he was about salvation.

Salvation of the flock is what the Church ought to be focused on to the exclusion of any other thing.
For a bishop to opine in such a vile manner toward anyone let alone the President of a country is beyond the pale of decent and functional behavior. Let him sell off the church assets and clothe the naked and feed the hungry. That is a noble endeavor and one Jesus would give a thumbs up to...

Amen!
Even here in the U.S. we have children go to bed hungry every night and yet I cant recall a single instance where I have seen a U.S. arch bishop or a bishop who doesnt seem to be well fed.
Sometimes, I have a feeling that if Christ ever ressurects these people would definitely be the first group to call for his blood.

 

[CycloWizard]

I agree with you somewhat on this point, but we've ALWAYS separated medical, dental and vision into different things. That's why we have different schools for physicians, dentists and ophthalmologists. I've worked jobs where I get medical and vision but no dental. My current insurance is medical with no dental or vision. Ideally, they'd all be together, but the current method of insuring is treating them all as different types of medical care.

So the reason for not changing the status quo is that... it's the status quo? You'll have to do better than that. Employees of the federal government have excellent options for dental and vision insurance.

 

[CycloWizard]

The tax exempt entities are utilizing and enjoying many things paid for by our taxes-like police protection, fire protection, highways, military protection, disaster relief, etc. while not paying a cent for them because they are tax exempt. We the taxpayers ARE subsidizing their organization and lifestyles, something that moron proves is quite an offensive burden to bear.

If that's your argument, it's very flimsy indeed. There are millions of "non-profits" around the US that pay no taxes but receive all of these benefits: hospitals, private schools (including universities with billions in endowments who also take billions in federal funding for research and financial aid), charity organizations, and lots of others. Catholic churches spend nearly all of their income funding charity ventures, paying their priests about $14k per year (taxed income), and providing community services like soup kitchens, homeless shelters, and lots of other things that you would love coming from any other organization. Are you going to protest Harvard's tax-exempt status?

 

[Zebo]

Seems like a lot pf ppl will suffer if they don't get fed cash. Catholics do a lot for ppl as anti religious as I am I give a a bunch to their charities for soup kitchens, giving clothes to impoverished etc. World is not always black and white. On balance it's a good org.

 

[Lemon law]

The Roman Catholic church is fraction of its former self, after it lost its right to burn all dissenters at the stake.

Bring back the ole time religion, its a good enough for me.

Let the fires of religious zeal reignite, and while we are at it, the resurgence should be led by pedophile priests. Let us all take a bow to our infallible Pope.