Can some religious denominations or "organizations" be considered a business?

Question

I noticed that some religious denominations do the following:

1-) Donate money towards that big corporation or organization
2-) Print a bunch of pamphlets, leavelets and booklets
3-) Re-print holly books
4-) Visit people in a very methodical ORGANIZED manner like recruting
5-) Try to get more members at all cost.

I am wondering what is the plan? As many of these "donations" do not really go to help the poor. Am I the onlyone smelling something fishy?

Answer 1

When I lived in Brooklyn, I owned a store in Flushing. The Koreans had a very tight society seemingly wrapped up in the church, but it seemed that any Korean person who came in to do business in my store had a non-profit organization certificate exempting them from taxes. It seemed like a tax sheltering business rather than a church to me. I smell something VERY fishy. I believe however, that when it all comes down in the end people who use the name of the church to gain personal profit are gonna have to answer some tough questions.

Answer 2

According to the IRS they are businesses. However most of them don't make a profit. Especially the smaller churches. They usually survive on meager donations. Some barely can pay the utility bills. If the cost of utilities goes up they are hurting. As for the larger Chuches, sounds like there are plenty of big donors.

Yes the funds are used for various means of communicating the word. Pamphlets, flyers, leavelets all are a part of it. It takes funds to do all of this. You must also take into consideration staff pay, if they receive any, to this equation. Then there is printing costs, administration expenses, building expenses. Sometimes a congregation gets too large for their present building, then they have to add on to the present structure.

Then Insurance and sometimes property taxes are involved, and other miscellanous expenses.

So No they should not be considered a business because businesses exist to make money and show a profit. Not to receive donations and spend it for up keep. The points you mentioned are standard procedures in all churches, large or small. Some times these items are part of the donations to the religious organization because the organization of church itself can't afford to do it. Then some one will donate the cost of funding these projects.

Answer 3

They all do that? so what's the point? Evangelical preachers are always in trouble for being gay visiting prostitutes and taking drugs and they tell people how to vote and have huge followings in the millions. Bring in millions of dollars and never do anything to help the poor or needy. Built hospitals that make money.
Colleges that make money. the Mormons owned this car company and the list is endless. The Catholic Church owns about everything and they have gay priests they move around.
They make billions of dollars all tax free.
The only poor Organizations that put out more than they bring in are Adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses. There literature is free they have no paid clergy and what donations they do get prints free bibles. The rest are pretty wealthy.

Answer 4

to add on to bro_ken12's sentiment I believe being a non-profit organization also has to make their financials public domain. I think if you were to actually look at them and did some research you would see where the money goes. I think you will also see that quite a bit of that money does go to charity or mission trips, etc. I am not sure how common this is, but the church I go to once a year prints off a copy of their financials for the people attending and spends a service or two going over them and basically justifying the money they spend so people know exactly where the money they donate is going.

It's easy for people to look from the outside and go by what they see as opposed to looking inside and seeing what's really going on. Are there people who abuse this? of course, but I think you will find the majority of churches abiding by the law.

Answer 5

i remember a big group that was only focused on the word and spreading it to others and so they gathered all sorts of money and it was like they only spent on their printing companey and they showed their plan in a magazine and they divided each dollar to their own companey but in all their words there was no division for medical charity or hunger, this is technicaly a religeon but it is actualy a self based companey type without action to the words they claim, i had informed them to divide the dollar into tenths cuz they had 8 places of use to a dollar so i added in the medical and the food to their plan as a good suggestion if they claim gods words and ways and it may be a business but if my business is to help you live and love others and your self then id accept it, that organization was the bvov with kenneth and gloria and i hope they have taken my advice or got wind of it from their hum hum employees thing is if you know a group only focused on the word the most you can do is try to reguide them to understanding and if they dont change and do to help others then dont worry too much cause they are doing their part in the spreading of the word but it looks bad for the rest if they are not prooveing the word to be as helpfull and loveing as possible and the money they receive makes them think they are too rich to step down in the holes that some have crawled for shelter and you can only be a minister if you are ministering and if your just talking then your just talking thats like will you stop the bad guys they say sure so the bad guys come to kill a person and the person says im safe cuz the companey is here to help then the bad guy starts to drag the person down in a hole and the person ask for help and the companey only says jesus loves you and thats it so thats the problem with such denominations but consider this they might not be confident fighters but they are tied to one humungus world church and they might not be able to spiritualy fight the bad guy but they probly know the right people who can and do thats why their job is just to work with spreading the word and the others who are tougher with god do the actions needed so since they do contribute in part of the duty they do right but also have their mental or physical stumblings lacking courage but they can help the poor and not fear loosing gods gifts cuz god gives for it to be shared with others so if it smells fishy then you have tasted the fish that feeds more than five thousands of people who did not understand and you are like a fish whose taste is the understanding of action hope you understand it a lil better now

Answer 6

Hi Muslimah,

I think your #1 is wrong. They might donate to a politician, but not a business.

Other than that, they are business and they are run like a business. I was in leadership and that is right. Growth and livelihood were the key issues, which are business issues.

Take care.

Answer 7

Most religions register as non-profit organizations. They operate just like businesses because that is what they are. The Catholics, Mormons, Born-agains, Methodists, ETC. ETC. While they do print pamphlets and recruit they do use their money for good purposes. They are not allowed to show a profit. So they spend it on the poor and operating expenses.

How do you think they buy the great buildings to worship in. They need to prove they are a legal entity to purchase real estate.

Nothing Fishy it's legit

Answer 8

If they are charging at the door, charging for redemption, and charging for membership and learning, they are running a business. You know they are all getting paid too! Why do bishops drive $50,000 cars? Why does pope wear such elaborate garb? Why is any man elevated above the rest of us if he is a man of God? Jesus didn't elevate himself, he even said no man can be called good, only God. Sounds fishy to me.

Answer 9

no... the majority of donations rnt even approaching teh poor ppl ... the money is playing in the handso of rich ppl ..
n tlakin abt religious organizations as business ,,.... u shud not make ur religious org's income as ur pay ....
like sum ppl..take money for teaching quran ... but thats not rite ... why r u taking money for spreading word of Allah almighty ... that is ur duty ... u r obliged to fulfill it ...
n that goes to orgs too ...

Answer 10

They sure are run like a business. They have mission statements on down to power point presentations to church members.