Some Conservative Christian Leaders Think the Sky is Falling
While probably the average right wing Christian thinks his/her version of Christianity will remain in laws forever, there is rumbling inside the community's leadership that things are dark for them. Various reasons have been advanced for thinking future court cases will go against them and DC will pass laws they do not like.
What they are experiencing, or feel they will experience, is something new to them but not to others who once thought their views or their work was so appreciated they would not be subject to ordinary street level politics. One of the latter was science and scientists. How could what we do, they said, saving lives, reducing misery and making peoples' lives better have to compete for public funding with subsidies for preachers and an ever larger war machine? How could we be just another constituency going to congress with our hands out?
Conservative religious leaders are now saying something similar. How can we, the group who understands better than others what real Christianity stands for be subjected to laws of equal opportunity and against discrimination we like to practice? How could we be just another constituency trying to elbow out our enemies? Welcome to the club.
In the link, a Christian leader calls the coming years a "dark ages" of conservative Christianity. He sees the Supreme Court giving little ground to religious organizations that want to limit opportunities for women and gays. The hammer the government has over these organizations is the tax exempt status.
The insider mentioned only one group among conservative Christians will thrive during the coming failures. That is those who make their living with right wing direct mail fund raising. Raising money is always easier when under attack.
Being discussed again is the "Benedict Option." This was proposed in a book about five years ago. It refers to a long ago "Benedict" who advocated isolated and pure Christian communities which stayed to themselves and reacted as little as possible with the secular culture. Today we might call that a "commune" or "cult."
Really, withdrawing from the culture is a better option for those of us who want a secular government than trying to force religious views on the culture. The problem with it is the number of failed such communities who withdrew to live the pure and simple life is as long as your arm.
Even the most liberal denominations would be affected if the 501 c3 is eliminated. Then include all the other 501 c3's That just might be forced to form an alliance. That's a lot of votes.
ReplyDeleteThe Baptists and Assemblies of God just may think the Catholics aren't so bad after all.
ReplyDeleteThen there's the LDS, the Masonic Lodge, Hospitals, Many other hospitals. Eagles, Elks, Scouts, Pretty devoted folks. More votes. Just scratching the surface.
ReplyDeleteIn the words of Dirty Harry.
Jon, “Really, withdrawing from the culture is a better option for those of us who want a secular government than trying to force religious views on the culture. “
ReplyDeleteIt has been said the tax exemption for religious organizations is needed to protect these businesses from the state. “They do great good for many, and discourage the evil that so readily creeps onto culture's pathway if not suppressed with diligence.”(1) So religious organizations are protected from the state. Many feel, as I do, that now the state needs to be protected from religion as it tries to politically weave its “diligent suppression of creeping evil” deeper into the state’s secular fabric. Of course I suspect some religious organizations are not a bit shy about using their own brand of “creeping evil” to acquire and hold on to power. In any case, I just don’t see how religious scripture can carry the weight of “substantial evidence” in legislating the laws of the land. Using the heresay of biblical scripture as the smoking gun of truth is to me always inadmissible.
(1) https://www.frc.org/taxexemptionchurches
Ardy B That site is funny. The evangelicals say (paraphrasing), "We are not being subsidized. We just don't pay taxes." Apparently, if they paid their taxes and were paid them back it would be a subsidy.
DeleteIn Europe (as I understand it) taxes are collected, voluntary in some countries, designated for churches. I think this started back in ancient times when churches kept records for government use, like birth and death records. Maybe they did other things.
If we can't get rid of the subsidy in the U.S. it would be helpful if every organization that received it was somehow accountable for society-wide contributions. "Saving souls for Jesus" is not a society-wide thing. We require people on unemployment to document various things like they are applying for work, why not institutions.