why is it ok for the catholic church to ask for government money?

Question

to fix some of their churches but not want to pay taxes?
in 2003 in califonia the central coast was rocked by a 6.2 earthquake in san simion. it severly damaged two missions.
one in san luis obispo and one in san miguel.
the curch was asking for the state of california to help rebuild or repair their churshes. not from donations from the people but from the state govrenment.
this is public record.
i ask again. why can you ask the tax payers to help fix your problem and yet not want to pay any taxes.
not everyone in califonia is a catholic so if you want tax money you should have to pay into those taxes.otherwise it just a form of stealing.

it is not o.k. for any tax exempt church to ask for any state or federal money
they didn't help put it there so they don't get to benifit from it.

i don't care if they are histoical landmarks.
if my hard earned mony goes to them then they owe me.period.

Answer 1

Because they have a mandate from an imaginary being.

Factually - it is not ok. Government can not endorse nor prohibit the free exercise of religion. Taking tax dollars from the people to support a faith is illegal and imoral.

While those churces are landmarks, they are not state owned and operated. They are fully fiunctioning churches still owned by the church. If the state is to repair them the state should own them and the church should move out to a prefab building somewhere else.

Answer 2

The Catholic church has income and it has wealth. The income is daily through collections in churches and other ministries. Some of the money goes directly to the cost of running that ministry, or Church, and a portion of it is sent to through the hierarchy of the church. Some Churches need money to stay open and that is usually provided within the local group of Catholic churches, known as the diocese. It is all part of a business plan, just like a giant corporation. A budget is made and it includes the income, the expenses, etc. Also, the church is the oldest Christian religion and has much wealth (The Vatican) that has accumulated over the history of the organization. It works the same way as the large churches that you see on TV with the primary exception of salaries. Many priests and other ministers (nuns, monks, etc) do not receive high wages...a vow of poverty is taken by many and they are merely provided enough to pay for their basic needs (groceries, toiletries, transportation)... Speaking of transportation...many priests are very, very busy and run from one appointment to another which is why it seems they are driving a lot when they could be walking...when you are taking care of the needs of hundreds of people, you stay pretty busy! That is where the Catholic church gets it's money (in a nutshell). I hope that helps:)

Answer 3

I don't know as it is o.k. But one must realize that separation of church and state only exists in the imagination of some very unrealistic liberals; with apparently no ability to interpret recorded history. That is a reason; although not an excuse.

Second and more important, the Roman Catholic Church is the wealthiest entity on earth. The State of California might need a loan from them some day! And those faithfull people who attend are voters are they not? See, it is never about who pays taxes but who can deliver the biggest block of votes. Let's see what The Boys from Brazil, er Sacramento, do.


Finally, it's a free country and anybody can ask for money; including non-profit organizations that don't pay taxes and major corporations that escape taxes. That just leaves you and me bud.

Now if we consider stealing? Well, we are right back at the start of our little lesson in world history.

Answer 4

the catholic church was invented to scare taxes out of there people to fund there vast construction,when they suck the people dry they told the rich upper class that they could buy there way to heaven if they paid the church,it had nothing to do with god when invented by the romans it was to collect taxes





and maybe there running low on funds after paying off 100mill to molested kids

Answer 5

Surely the Catholic church has enough money in it's coffers that it can afford to rebuild on it's own- & while it's at it, maybe it should help others to rebuild their homes...but perhaps it's a very poor area and for whatever reason the local church leaders have been instructed to take care of it themselves.... who knows....

Answer 6

It isn't okay. Separation of Church and state. It's the law, and should be upheld, the same as Illegal alien trespassing laws.

Answer 7

I agree that it is wrong of christian churches not to pay taxes. When Jesus clearly said "render unto ceasar what is ceasars". And they WERE talking about his people paying taxes. The missions are probably state historic landmarks.

Answer 8

why was it ok for the catholic church to be left unscathed in world war 2................................what happen to all the old world treasure from europe that the nazis gathered through attrition key words there will tell you the nazis had them all of them..............but all their plans fell through...........and the only ones in the world that weren't pissed off at the nazis were the roman catholic head quarters called the vatican............ with a good portion of european Jews exterminated the vatican was more then willing to get the remainder of the nazis out of europe to places like south america and parts of africa.....................with the condition you let us keep all your ill gotten booty.............it will only slow you on your journey to your new homes

Answer 9

The missions you write about constitute the very beginnings of the state of California, and they are irreplaceable.

If you can't recognize their historical significance and the vested public interest that certainly exists in preserving them, then you need to go back to school.

Answer 10

Catholic missions are state historical landmarks. Sorry - but that is the truth. Any state landmark would be eligible for disaster relief, and would be derelict to not pursue it.

That said, any religious organization is eligible for tax exempt status, including atheist organizations.

You really have an axe to grind - what will you do when you realize there is nothing to chop?