Editor;
Tens of thousands of churches in the U.S. are sitting quietly not uttering a sound, while the government is in terrible state financially. You would think that since the government has always nourished and protected religion, that some religious charity would be extended toward the U.S. in its time of great need, but such is not the case.
If the subject of taxation of churches is brought up people would argue that there should be no separation of church and state, but there is another argument that can be made, and that is that separation has not always worked well in all case and that churches have become more like business institutions, that they have grown large, numerous, and highly profitable. A good audit, I’m sure would bring this out.
Tax think tanks, tax specialists and tax reformers have estimated that if churches were taxed like other businesses it would bring in a trillion dollars annually to local state, and federal government. It could cut every citizen’s tax by fifty percent and provide enough revenue to finance a national health insurance program. They say that the whole business of religion being subsidized by tax money is not fair, it doesn’t make sense, and is untenable.
No matter how one looks at the situation religion is considered sacred and untouchable, but that doesn’t mean that some aspects of church and state can’t be change to help the government and the people more than it is doing at the present time. A breakdown in some aspects of church and state just might have a positive affect for all concerned.
Ray Standiford
