General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: There's one problem that the United States doesn't have [View all]Zeitghost
(3,895 posts)There are very specific rules that need to be written and enforced or they will be tossed in court. Churches follow the same rules as any other non-profit. If we want to tax them, it can not be on religious grounds, that is discriminatory. You'll need to write laws that tax their income the same as a secular group doing similar things.
I think the problem people are having is trying to differentiate churches from what they see as worthwhile charities. It's easy to compare a big over the top mega church to the local womens shelter. But there are charities that are organized for all sorts of things, many of which most people would view as unimportant or maybe even detrimental. Basically, as long as the activity being engaged in is not a profit making endeavor being used to funnel money back to ownership, you can form a non-profit to manage it.